Beijing is firmly objecting to the European Commission’s decision to implement additional countervailing duties on China-made electric vehicles ranging up to 35.3% for a period of five years, while pushing for ongoing negotiations with Brussel to establish a price floor on Chinese EVs, according to a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Commerce, who made the comments on Oct. 4. The spokesperson added that both sides have conducted six rounds of technical consultations in 14 days since China’s commerce minister Wang Wentao and EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis held talks on Sept. 19.
The negotiations will continue, the spokesperson added, urging the EU to truly demonstrate its political will and return to the “right track” of resolving trade frictions through consultations. The European Union had said earlier in the day that it had obtained “the necessary support” to adopt the tariffs, but would continue talks with Beijing to explore an alternative solution. Pascal Lamy, the former director general of the World Trade Organization, said last September that he anticipates the EU and China could resolve the trade dispute through an agreement not to sell EVs below a minimum price, known as a “price undertaking.” [TechNode reporting, China’s Ministry of Commerce]