China wants EU tariffs on EVs gone by July 4 as talks resume
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Beijing wants the EU to scrap its preliminary tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles by July 4, China's state-controlled Global Times reported, after both sides agreed to hold new trade talks.
Provisional European Union duties of up to 38.1% on imported Chinese-made EVs are set to kick in by July 4 while the bloc investigates what it says are excessive and unfair subsidies.
China has repeatedly called on the EU to cancel its tariffs, expressing a willingness to negotiate.
Beijing does not want to be embroiled in another tariff war, still stung by U.S. tariffs on its goods imposed by the Trump administration, but says it would take all steps to protect Chinese firms should one happen.
Both sides agreed to restart talks after a call between EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and China's Commerce Minister on Saturday during a visit to China by Germany's economy minister, who said the doors for discussion are "open."
China's Global Times, citing observers, said the best outcome is that the EU scraps its tariff decision before July 4.
But the Commission, analysts and European trade lobby groups stressed that talks would be a major undertaking and China would need to come willing to make major concessions.
"Nobody will dare to do this now. Not before the elections in France," said Alicia Garcia Herrero, senior fellow at Bruegel, an influential EU affairs think tank, on whether the planned curbs could be dropped.
"The Commission can't change a decision it has been pondering for months on months on months," she added. "Yes, China is putting pressure on the member states, but they would need to vote with a qualified majority against the Commission."
The tariffs are set to be finalized on Nov. 2 at the end of the EU anti-subsidy investigation.
"The EU side emphasized that any negotiated outcome to its investigation must be effective in addressing the injurious subsidization," a Commission spokesperson said on Monday.
The Chinese commerce ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Ref: China wants EU tariffs on EVs gone by July 4 as talks resume (europe)
