A drone view shows BYD electric vehicles before being loaded onto a vehicle carrier for export to Brazil, at the port of Lianyungang in Jiangsu province, China - REUTERSpix: The European Commission told automakers on Wednesday it would impose extra duties of up to 38.1% on imported Chinese electric cars from July, in a move that China called protectionist but its car industry dismissed as one without a major impact.
The move comes as European automakers are being challenged by an influx of lower-cost EVs from Chinese rivals. Lin said China urged the EU to support free trade, adding Beijing would take all necessary measures to “firmly safeguard” its legitimate rights and interests.“The EU’s provisional tariffs come basically within our expectations, averaging around 20%, which won’t have much of an impact on the majority of Chinese firms,“ CPCA Secretary General Cui Dongshu said.
Beijing has already launched an anti-dumping investigation into mostly French-made imports of brandy. It also passed a law in April to strengthen its ability to hit back should the United States or EU impose tariffs on exports of the world’s No. 2 economy. Western producers such as Tesla and BMW that export cars from China to Europe were considered cooperating companies.