EU hikes tariffs on Chinese EVs, prompting rebuke from Beijing
Al Jazeera
China’s Commerce Ministry promises to take ‘all necessary measures’ to protect the interests of Chinese firms.
The European Union has decided to sharply raise tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars, prompting an angry response from Beijing.
The tariffs of up to 45.3 percent will take effect on Wednesday after an inquiry concluded that Beijing was undercutting European carmakers with unfair state subsidies.
China’s Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday said it did not agree with or accept the tariffs.
“We also noticed that the EU side indicated it would continue to negotiate with China on price commitments,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that Beijing would take “all necessary measures to firmly protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies”.
Beijing, which during the probe accused Brussels of “unfair” and “unreasonable” protectionism, has launched its own investigations into imports of European goods, including dairy and pork products.
