The non-unanimous vote by Union (EU) member states on protectionist tariffs on Chinese battery electric vehicles (BEVs) was "highly unusual" and reflects a division in the continent, said an Italian lawmaking expert.
The European Commission announced Friday that it passed a vote to impose additional tariffs on Chinese BEVs. Only 10 member states backed the tariffs, while 12 abstained and five voted against.
In an interview with China Radio International (CRI) shortly after the EU vote, Daniel Gros, the director of Institute for European Policymaking of Bocconi University in Italy, emphasized that the vote represented a sharp departure from the norm.
"The vote in the council of ministers was highly unusual, in the sense that it is rare that you have these open confrontations with people voting against. Usually they try to come to a unanimous decision. And even more unusual, this time you had more countries abstaining than countries voting for the measure. So this shows that in Europe, there's a wide range of opinions on these tariffs," said Gros.
The EU launched a probe into Chinese electric vehicles in October 2023. In July, the commission imposed provisional additional tariffs of up to 37.6 percent on Chinese electric vehicle makers.
"Unusual" EU vote on vehicle tariffs reveals division in EU politics: Italian expert
"Unusual" EU vote on vehicle tariffs reveals division in EU politics: Italian expert
China's top housing authority has noted "overall positive changes" in the real estate market, as homebuyer confidence was revived by a series of beneficial measures announced by major Chinese cities since September to boost the country's property markets.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said most cities have seen a rise in visits to property projects by over 50 percent from a year ago.
Thanks to new policy adjustments on Sept 30, both transaction volume and inquiries for second-hand homes in Beijing increased notably during the week-long National Day holiday, which runs from Oct 1 to 7.
"On Oct 1, four orders were signed at our store and on Oct 2, one order was signed, bringing the total number to five. This marks a historical peak in our transaction records," said Liu Qiujing, a house agent at Huilongguan sub-branch of Lianjia Real Estate Brokerage in Beijing.
She also reported that property viewings at her store stood at 39 groups during the holiday, an increase of 15 groups over the previous week.
According to a circular jointly issued by six municipal departments on Sept 30, non-Beijing residents are allowed to purchase homes inside the city's fifth ring road if they have a record of paying social insurance or individual income tax in the city for at least three years - down from five years as was previously required.
The new policies which took effect on Oct 1 also lift the housing purchase restrictions in Tongzhou District, where the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center is located, to allow the district's homebuying rules to comply with the city's unified property market policy.
Under the new rules, homebuyers face less financial pressure, as the minimum down payment ratio for individual commercial mortgages are reduced from 20 percent to 15 percent for first-home purchases, and from 30 percent to 20 percent for second homes.
"Following the introduction of the new regulations, buyers have shown a stronger willingness to purchase properties, acquiring them more swiftly. Clients with rigid demand for residential housing are swiftly entering the market. From the perspective of homebuyers, their confidence has significantly increased," said Liu.
Between Oct 1 and noon of Oct 3, on-site inquiries for second-hand homes in Beijing jumped by 104.1 percent year on year, according to a report on the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
China's housing market sees positive changes following eased homebuying rules
