China says will negotiate ‘until the last minute’ on EU EV probe

CHINA’S commerce minister said on Wednesday (Sep 18) that Beijing will continue to negotiate “until the last minute” on the European Union’s electric vehicle (EV) probe, with the investigation undermining confidence of Chinese companies investing in Europe.

Wang Wentao was speaking in Brussels at a China-Europe Electric Vehicles event where around 30 top executives of Chinese and European EV industries met to discuss views on the EU’s anti-subsidy case against China’s EVs.

Wang is due to meet the European Commission’s trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis on Thursday to discuss rising trade tension.

The European Commission is on the verge of proposing final tariffs of up to 35.3 per cent on EVs built in China on top of the EU’s standard 10 per cent car import duty.

The EU’s 27 members are due to vote on the proposed final duties on Sep 25. They will be implemented by the end of October unless a qualified majority of 15 EU members representing 65 per cent of the EU population votes against the levies. REUTERS