In the dispute over state subsidies for electric cars, the Chinese government is opposing the European Union’s punitive customs duties on electric cars from the People’s Republic at the World Trade Organization (WTO). On Friday, Beijing appealed to the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, explained the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
Because the EU decision violates the rules of the World Trade Organization and undermines “global cooperation in the fight against climate change”.
The Ministry of Commerce in Beijing called on the EU to “immediately correct its bad practices” and “jointly maintain the stability of economic and trade cooperation” between China and the European Union, as well as the stability of industrial chains and supply of electric vehicles.
At the beginning of July, the EU temporarily imposed additional import duties on electric cars from China. The new customs duties vary between 17.4 and 37.6 percent depending on the manufacturer and are in addition to the 10 percent import duties already in force. Due to the wait for the final decision, companies will not have to pay the new customs duties initially, but will have to post corresponding guarantees when importing the cars.