BEIJING (Reuters) – The European Commission’s investigation into Chinese electric vehicles which allegedly benefited from public subsidies will have a negative impact on economic and trade relations between Brussels and Beijing, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce warned on Thursday.
The President of the European executive, Ursula von der Leyen, justified this initiative on Wednesday by the key role played by electric vehicles in the European Union’s strategy to reduce carbon emissions.
The investigation is expected to establish whether punitive tariffs are justified to protect European producers against what European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described as a “deluge” of Chinese electric vehicle imports. cheaper.
China believes that the investigative measures proposed by the European Union are actually aimed at protecting its own industry, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.
“This is an outright protectionist act that will seriously disrupt and distort competition in the global automotive industry and supply chain, including in the EU, and will have a negative impact on economic relations and trade between China and the EU.
In 2022, China’s exports to the EU increased by 8.6% to reach a volume of $562 billion (523.16 billion euros), according to Chinese customs data.
In contrast, imports from the EU fell by 7.9% to $285 billion, due to reduced Chinese demand, which significantly widened the EU’s trade deficit with -visit China for the second consecutive year.
(Ryan Woo; Nicolas Delame, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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