Source: Xinhua News Agency
BRUSSELS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Recently, China and the EU have held intensive consultations on the countervailing of electric vehicles. However, the European Commission not only continues to insist on ruling high countervailing duty rates, but also rejects the package proposed by the Chinese industry, showing no political will to resolve the issue. In this regard, people in European political, business and academic circles are worried, and call on the European Commission to respond to the voices of all parties, listen to the demands of all walks of life, and properly resolve the economic and trade differences between China and the EU through dialogue and consultation.
Spain Prime Minister Pedro · Sánchez, who has just concluded a visit to China, reiterated Spain's strong support for free trade and called for dialogue to find solutions within the multilateral framework of the WTO. "We need to develop economic and trade relations and avoid trade wars, because it's not good for the whole world," he said. Sanchez believes that the EU should carefully reconsider the decision to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, and that the EU and China have far more in common than differences, and should continue to strengthen cooperation.
On September 16, at the media preview of the Hannover International Transportation Expo in Germany, people visited the E-STAR V7 commercial vehicle in the Dongfeng Motor exhibition area. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ren Pengfei
Germany government spokesman Steffen · Heberstreiter agreed with the Spain prime minister's statement, saying that "this is our common direction." Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also repeatedly expressed strong opposition to the EU decision, calling on the EU to abandon plans to impose additional tariffs. He said Germany would not close its markets to foreign companies because it did not want its own companies to be treated the same in foreign markets.
Germany's Federal Minister for Digitalization and Transport, Volker · Wiesing, has previously warned that the trade war will backfire on European and German companies. Competitiveness should be improved through more open markets, not through trade wars and fragmentation.
The automotive industry is the backbone and key sector of the Hungary economy. Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban said a few days ago that in the past few months, all the heads of large enterprises in the industry he met with have opposed the EU's tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
Sweden also questions the EU's position. Sweden Prime Minister Kristersson previously said that the EU's tariffs were a "bad idea" to undermine global trade, and that a "broader trade war" was not the way out for industrialized countries such as Germany and Sweden.
An electric car charges at a charging station near the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, June 6 (file photo). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhao Dingzhe
United Kingdom and Norway, which are not members of the European Union, have made it clear that they will not blindly follow the EU in imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. United Kingdom Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan · Reynolds said the United Kingdom would not follow the European Union's lead in imposing steep tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China. Norway is currently one of the countries with the highest proportion of new energy vehicle sales in Europe. Norway Prime Minister Støre said that no country should impose such tariffs, and that tariffs would ultimately hurt both sides. He stressed that Norway does not want to burden its own consumers, who have the right to buy the car they want.
Calls for the EU to lift tariffs and oppose the trade war have also resonated widely in European academic and business circles. Croatia political analyst Mladen · Plescher said the EU's move to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles has caused dissatisfaction. Many believe that this is a step towards the EU launching a trade war against China, which will ultimately hurt the European economy.
Mike · Haws, chief executive of the United Kingdom Association of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said bluntly: "Nobody wants to see a trade war, and we don't want to see any-for-tat,-for-tat. What we need is open markets and free and fair trade. ”
Kisei· Zoltan, director of the Center for Political Analysis at the Hungary Sazodwig Foundation, said that Europe has benefited greatly from investment and trade cooperation with China over the past 40 years. The best way to protect the interests of European consumers and businesses is to protect free trade through negotiation, rather than getting involved in a trade war. He said the EU is pushing for a green transition, but at the current pace of electrification, this goal cannot be achieved. European automakers simply cannot provide a sufficient number of electric vehicles to achieve this goal, so the support of other manufacturers, including Chinese manufacturers, is also needed.
On January 26, employees work at NIO's European plant in Biotorbagy, Hungary. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ferti · Otillo)
· Victor, a researcher at the Johann · Lukács Institute at the National Administrative University of Hungary, believes that avoiding a trade war is in the fundamental interests of both Europe and China. He said that from the perspective of the EU and China, trade is vital for both sides, and a trade war will fundamentally damage the economy and trust between the two sides.
Erik ·Solheim, former UN Under-Secretary-General and former Executive Director of UN Environment, said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency that the EU's decision to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles was wrong. "China has achieved the rapid transition to green transport that all EU leaders have called for over the past decade." He believes that Europe should "roll out the red carpet" for Chinese car companies that are leading the electric vehicle market and invite these companies to invest in Europe, bringing a "win-win green competition" to the European market, and protectionism is a lose-lose.
Haye · Kirstello, founder of EVXL, a Netherlands electric vehicle news website, said that while the European Union is trying to exclude Chinese cars by setting up trade barriers, well-known Western automakers are increasingly strengthening their ties with the Chinese market. This highlights the importance of collaboration and innovation in the fast-growing EV industry. Europe's cooperation with China will not only benefit participating companies, but will also accelerate the global adoption of electric vehicles and move the global automotive industry towards a more sustainable future.