BEIJING, Sept 12 (Askume) – Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao will visit Europe in the coming days where he will discuss the European Union’s counter-case against Chinese-made electric cars as China faces plans to impose high tariffs but a vote is imminent.
Wang Yi will hold talks with European Commission Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis on September 19, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said at a regular press conference.
Wang’s visit to Europe was announced after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited China earlier this week, where he unexpectedly said the EU should reconsider its stance.
The European Commission, which oversees EU trade policy, is set to propose a final tariff of up to 35.3% on Chinese-made electric vehicles, which would be in addition to the EU’s standard 10% car import tariff.
The proposed final tariffs will be voted on by the EU’s 27 member states. These measures will remain in force until the end of October unless a qualified majority of 15 EU member states, representing 65% of the EU’s population, vote against the tariffs.
“We don’t need another trade war,” Sanchez said in China on Wednesday. “If you ask me, we need to rethink our position.”
Spain has so far been one of the first countries to publicly support the EU tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on Thursday that Sanchez’s remarks reflected his “rational and objective thinking.”
He said at a regular press conference: “(China hopes the EU) will work with China to resolve economic and trade conflicts through dialogue and negotiation and improve China-EU economic and trade relations and promote the healthy and stable development of trade relations.”
