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Recently, there has been a resurgence of undercurrents on the international stage.
Turkey, a country that straddles Eurasia, suddenly cracked down on Chinese fuel and hybrid cars — 40% tariffs, harsher than the European Union.
Everyone can see that Turkey is doing something.
Some people think Turkey is asking for trouble, while others think they are just trying to attract attention.
But either way, it points to a central question: What exactly does Turkey want to do?
Do you want to take the opportunity to develop your country's auto industry, or do you want to seek more benefits for yourself in the international political game?
Looking back at history, it is not the first time that Turkey has "shot" against China.
In 1999, China bought an aircraft carrier called "Varyag" from Ukraine, but when it was towed back home, it was blocked by Turkey.
At that time, Turkey "detained" the Varyag in the Bosphorus for a year on the grounds that it was too large and affected the passage of other ships.
Everyone can see that Turkey is taking advantage of the opportunity.
Sure enough, during the "detention" period, Turkey continued to make various unreasonable demands to China, including opening up tourism to Turkey, providing military technology and economic assistance, and so on.
Turkey's appetite is staggering.
In the end, thanks to the joint efforts of China and Greece, the "Varyag" was able to get out and finally arrive in China.
The incident with the "Varyag" showed the world the "true face" of Turkey.
This country, on the surface, has a good relationship with China, but behind the scenes, it often "stabs the knife".
Now, Turkey has repeated its old tricks and once again hit the "abacus" on the head of China's electric vehicles, and the motivation behind it is naturally not difficult to understand.
First, repeat the old trick? Turkey again "shot" at China
The "Varyag" incident is still a thorn in the hearts of the Chinese.
At that time, in order to develop its naval power, China took great pains to buy the unfinished aircraft carrier from Ukraine.
However, just as the "Varyag" was about to arrive in China, Turkey stepped in and blocked it for various reasons, trying to profit from it.
In 1999, China and Ukraine signed an agreement to buy the "Varyag" aircraft carrier, which had not yet been built.
In order to transport the behemoth back to China, China specially assembled a team of tugboats and began a long journey at sea.
However, when the Varyag sailed to the Bosphorus, which is controlled by Turkey, it was blocked by the Turkey side.
The reason given by Turkey is that the "Varyag" is too large, has no power of its own, needs tugboat towing, has potential safety hazards, and may affect the normal navigation of the strait.
But in reality, this is just an excuse made by Turkey.
In fact, they wanted to take advantage of the "Varyag" to take advantage of China.
Sure enough, during the "seizure" of the "Varyag", Turkey constantly made various unreasonable demands to China.
They hope that China will ease travel restrictions on Turkey and attract more Chinese tourists, thereby driving the development of Turkey's tourism industry.
They also hope that China will provide Turkey with military technology to help boost Turkey's military power.
In addition, they also asked China to provide economic assistance to Turkey in an attempt to "get wool" from China.
These demands by Turkey can be described as a lion's mouth, in complete disregard of international law and international practice.
China will certainly not agree to Turkey's demands.
As a result, the two sides were locked in lengthy negotiations.
The negotiations lasted for a whole year.
In the end, under the pressure of the international community and the joint efforts of China and Greece, the "Varyag" was able to pass through the Bosphorus and continue on its way home.
The matter with the "Varyag" ended with concessions from Turkey.
This incident has made the Chinese people see the true face of Turkey.
This country, on the surface, has a good relationship with China, but behind the scenes, it often "stabs the knife" and can harm the interests of other countries without scruples for its own interests.
Now, Turkey has repeated its old tricks and once again hit the "abacus" on the head of China's electric vehicles, and the motivation behind it is naturally not difficult to understand.
Recently, the EU has been undecided and vacillating on the issue of imposing taxes on China.
In the end, the EU voted to approve the proposal to impose a tax on China.
The EU intends to impose anti-dumping duties of up to 27.5% on Chinese electric vehicles.
When many EU countries were uneasy because of China's countermeasures, Turkey also said that it would impose tariffs on Chinese exports.
Not only that, but they also set tariffs at 40%, which is a little higher than the highest level in the European Union.
In order to protect its national interests, China decided to file a lawsuit against Turkey in the World Trade Organization.
Both China and Turkey are members of the WTO and are obliged to abide by WTO regulations.
Now Turkey has set up trade barriers for Chinese electric vehicles, which is a clear violation of relevant regulations.
China hopes that with the help of the WTO, Turkey will change its improper practices.
Otherwise, China will have to find its own way to protect its interests.
Second, the logic behind the "abacus": interpreting Turkey's true intentions
Why is Turkey going to attack China's electric vehicles?
Is it really just to gain popularity and increase presence?
Of course not.
Behind Turkey's "abacus" lies a deeper logic.
Turkey wants to protect its auto industry by imposing high tariffs.
Turkey's domestic automotive industry base is relatively weak, and it is difficult to compete with automobile manufacturing powerhouses such as China.
In order to protect its auto companies, the Turkey government has had to take some protectionist measures, and the imposition of high tariffs is one of them.
Turkey also wants to exert some pressure on China to gain more market access and opportunities for technical cooperation.
China is the world's largest market for electric vehicles, and Turkey wants a piece of the market.
By imposing steep tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, Turkey can force Chinese companies to negotiate with them and thus gain more access to the Chinese market.
Turkey can upgrade its own automotive manufacturing industry through technical cooperation with Chinese companies.
Finally, Turkey hopes to increase its influence by "flexing its muscles" on the international stage.
In recent years, Turkey has become more and more active in the international arena, trying to play a greater role in regional and international affairs.
And the high tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles can be seen by Turkey as a way to "show power" and show the world that Turkey is a force to be reckoned with.
However, although Turkey's "abacus" has played well, it may not be able to achieve its wish.
China is no longer at the mercy of others, and will not easily bow to external pressure.
What's more, Turkey's sanctions have limited impact on China and may harm its own interests.
Turkey is not a major market for China's EV exports.
In 2023, China's EV exports to Turkey accounted for less than 1% of China's total EV exports.
Therefore, Turkey's sanctions have little impact on China's electric vehicle industry.
Second, Turkey's sanctions can hurt itself.
Turkey's domestic automotive market demand is limited, while Chinese electric vehicles are highly competitive in terms of price and performance.
If Turkey imposes high tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, it will lead to an increase in the price of Chinese electric vehicles in the Turkey market, thus reducing their competitiveness.
This will not only affect Chinese companies, but also consumers in Turkey.
Finally, Turkey's sanctions could have a negative impact on its international reputation.
In today's globalized environment, trade protectionism is less popular.
Turkey's high tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles could be seen as an unfriendly act by the international community, damaging its international image.
3. China's confidence: calmly respond and protect national interests
In the face of Turkey's "provocation", China did not panic, but calmly responded.
China understands that no matter how Turkey calculates, it cannot stop the rapid development of China's electric vehicle industry.
China has the confidence, ability and confidence to respond and protect its legitimate rights and interests.
China will continue to support multilateralism and use WTO rules to protect its interests.
As an important member of the WTO, China has always respected and upheld WTO rules and advocated settling trade disputes through dialogue and consultation.
In response to Turkey's imposition of high tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, China has filed a lawsuit with the WTO, asking the WTO to rule that Turkey's actions violate WTO rules.
China believes that the WTO will make a fair ruling and safeguard the fair order of international trade.
Second, China will take countermeasures to conduct anti-dumping investigations on Turkey's relevant industries to maintain fair trade order.
If Turkey persists, China will have to take steps to protect its interests.
China's Ministry of Commerce has said it will conduct an anti-dumping investigation into Turkey's related industries.
If the results of the investigation show that Turkey has dumping practices, China will impose anti-dumping duties on Turkey's relevant products in accordance with WTO rules.
Finally, China will take advantage of Turkey's desire to join the BRICS and cooperate with Chinese automakers to negotiate with it for a win-win solution.
Turkey hopes to join the BRICS in order to strengthen its international position and influence.
In addition, Turkey also hopes to cooperate with Chinese car companies to develop its own automotive industry.
China can use Turkey's demands to negotiate with it and find a win-win solution.
For example, China could consider reducing import tariffs on some products from Turkey in exchange for Turkey removing the high tariffs imposed on Chinese electric vehicles.
All in all, although Turkey's "abacus" is shrewd, China is fully prepared and will resolutely safeguard its own interests.
China will adhere to multilateralism and use WTO rules to safeguard its rights and interests. At the same time, China will also take necessary measures to maintain a fair trade order.
China believes that through communication and consultation, China and Turkey can find appropriate ways to solve problems and achieve mutual benefits.
4. Conclusion: We can only achieve win-win development by working together
Turkey's imposition of high tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles is actually quite short-sighted.
In today's era of globalization, no country can solve all challenges alone, and only through cooperation can we achieve win-win and development.
China hopes that Turkey will see the status quo clearly, stop adhering to the idea of "win or lose", and work together with China to create an open, inclusive, mutually beneficial and win-win global trade environment.
History tells us that closure will only make people fall behind, and openness will make people progress.
China has always adhered to the basic national policy of opening up to the outside world, actively participated in global economic governance, and promoted the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
China is willing to work with all countries in the world, including Turkey, to build a better world.
Information sources:
Global Network2024-10-08The spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce answered a reporter's question on China's lawsuit against Turkey at the WTO for import restrictions on electric vehicles and other vehicles
Shangguan News 2017-04-23Insight | From "Varyag" to the Liaoning ship
Reference news 2024-09-03Foreign media: Turkey officially asked to join the BRICS
Beijing Daily Client2024-06-18Turkey imposes additional tariffs on China's fuel and hybrid vehicles, the China Chamber of Commerce for Mechanical and Electrical Engineering has taken a stand
Observer.com2024-06-09In addition to electric vehicles, Turkey has expanded the scope of additional tariffs on Chinese vehicles