China’s Premier Li Qiang has sought to counter western criticism of the country’s industrial strategy, saying the country’s exports were a benefit to world trade. Speaking at a World Economic Forum event in the city of Dalian, Li said China’s production of new energy products such as lithium batteries and electric vehicles, which has soared in recent years, was “enriching global supply”.
China’s minister of commerce Wang Wentao over the weekend entered into talks with the EU over the tariffs, which follow an investigation into state subsidies and are yet to be finalised. The US, which imports much smaller volumes of EVs from China, announced EV levies of 100 per cent earlier this year. Robert Habeck, vice-chancellor of Germany, who travelled to Beijing and Shanghai in recent days, welcomed the talks and has said the door was “open for discussions”.