China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) has expressed severe dissatisfaction over the proposed anti-subsidy tariffs set by the European Union.
CAAM alleged that although the manufacturer had cooperated with the European Commission’s investigation over Chinese subsidies, the investigation ignored the facts and came up with preset results. CAAM posted this on Saturday from a Chinese messaging app called WeChat.
The EU’s signed-off tariffs of up to 37.6 per cent on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles took effect Friday. These duties are provisional for four months, during which intensive talks are expected between the two sides.
“CAAM deeply regrets this and holds it firmly unacceptable,” the industry group said.
The provisional duties – between 17.4 per cent and 37.6 per cent, without backdating – are designed to prevent what European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said could be a flood of cheap Chinese electric cars built with state subsidies.
Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also voiced her concerns about EU subsidies. ‘China has made clear its position on many occasions regarding EU’s anti-subsidy probe into EVs made in China. We are strongly opposed to this. We always believe that specific economic and trade issues should be properly settled through dialogue and negotiation. China will also take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,’ she said.
The EU investigation into anti-subsidies has almost four months left to run provisionally.
