The controversy surrounding an increase in import tariffs on electric vehicles from China by the European Union (EU) continues to be discussed, and China said today that there are no precedents for the amount and type of information requested by the European Commission (EC) in the investigation into the subsidies granted by the Chinese state to electric vehicle manufacturers.
“The type, scope, and amount of information collected by the European party are unprecedented and far exceed the requirements of the investigation”, revealed the spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce of China, He Yadong, at a press conference.
The same official stated that the EC demanded details about the components and formulas of the batteries, the production costs of the vehicles, the supply of parts and raw materials, the sales channels and pricing methods, the data related to customers in Europe, and the structure of supply chains.
“The EC repeatedly indicated during the inquiry that non-cooperation would result in an unfavorable decision, forcing companies to provide this information”, accused the spokesperson.
Although Chinese companies have cooperated “as much as possible”, the Commission “continues to unfairly accuse them of not fully cooperating and has imposed high customs duties as punishment”.
“Chinese companies are shocked and disappointed,” the spokesperson added, accusing the EC of “not having an objective and legal basis, disrespecting the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and harming fair competition, global ‘green’ transformation, and open cooperation.”
It should be noted that the EC recently announced additional tariffs of 21%, on average, on imports of Chinese electric cars, offering a lower rate to cooperating companies – BYD, 17.4%, and Geely, 20% – and a higher rate of 38.1% to non-cooperating companies, such as SAIC.
