During a meeting with French junior trade minister Sophie Primas in Shanghai on Sunday, Wang Wentao emphasised that the European Union’s probe into Chinese electric vehicles is a significant issue and has “seriously hindered” the automotive industry cooperation between China and the EU.
China has called on France to actively encourage the European Commission to find a solution that satisfies both European and Chinese electric vehicle sectors, according to a statement from Beijing’s commerce ministry. During a Sunday meeting in Shanghai with French junior trade minister Sophie Primas, Minister Wang Wentao emphasised that the European Union’s investigation into Chinese electric vehicles is a significant issue and has notably disrupted the collaborative efforts in the auto industry between China and the EU. Last year, the EU initiated an anti-subsidy probe into Chinese-made battery electric vehicles and decided in October to impose tariffs on these vehicles. In response, over the past year, China has started investigations into European pork and dairy products and recently implemented temporary anti-dumping measures on EU brandy imports.
During her three-day visit aimed at addressing China’s import duties on brandy, which Paris deems political and unjustified, Primas was informed by Wang that China’s trade investigations concerning EU brandy, pork, and dairy products adhere to requests from the domestic industry and are in compliance with World Trade Organization regulations. Wang contrasted this with the EU’s hasty initiation of the electric vehicle investigation.
Wang assured that China’s ongoing investigations would be rigorously lawful, aimed at protecting the legitimate interests of businesses from EU member states, including France, with decisions based on concrete facts and evidence. However, he also expressed a readiness to engage with the European Commission to explore a feasible solution but did not provide further details.
Additionally, China began an anti-subsidy investigation on EU dairy products this August and launched a probe focusing on pork meant for human consumption in June.
