Beijing threatens to take action against proposed additional EU tariffs on Chinese electric car imports, calling the bloc's anti-subsidy probe 'naked protectionist behaviour'.A BYD Ocean-M electric car is displayed at the Beijing Auto Show in Beijing on April 25, 2024. / Photo: AFP Archive
The European Commission has proposed a provisional hike of tariffs on Chinese manufacturers: 17.4 percent for market major BYD, 20 percent for Geely and 38.1 percent for SAIC."China reserves the right to file a suit to the WTO and take all necessary measures to resolutely defend the rights and interests of Chinese companies," Beijing's commerce ministry spokesman He Yadong told a briefing on Thursday.
The tariffs will apply provisionally from July 4 and then definitively from November unless there is a qualified majority of EU states –– 15 countries representing at least 65 percent of the bloc's population –– voting against the move.