CCCEU Statement on EC's Pre-Disclosure of Definitive Measures Against Imported Chinese EVs
August 20, 2024, Brussels
The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCCEU) has taken note of the European Commission's (EC) pre-disclosure on August 20 of its proposed definitive measures in the anti-subsidy investigation against Chinese battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The EC has proposed a five-year countervailing duty ranging from 17 percent to 36.3 percent on BEVs produced by Chinese and European manufacturers in China, as well as a 9 percent duty on EVs produced by Tesla in China. The chamber expresses its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the EC's protectionist approach.
The developmentof the European EV industry, along with the EC’s own report, shows that there is no sufficient evidence to demonstrate that China's BEVs cause substantial material injury in the EU market. However, the European side's use of a "threat of injury" to “justify” imposing trade measures is contrary to fair principles and is unacceptable to the industry.
The CCCEU reiterates that the competitiveness of electric vehicles made in China is not driven by subsidies but by factors such as industrial scale, comprehensive supply chain advantages, and intense market competition. The EC's unfair use of trade tools to hinder free trade in electric vehicles, along with this protectionist approach, will ultimately weaken the resilience of the European electric vehicle industry, disrupt the level playing field, and undermine the EU's own green transition. Moreover, it will exacerbate trade tensions between China and the EU, sending a profoundly negative signal to global cooperation and green development.
Since the Commission self-initiated the anti-subsidy investigation into China's electric vehicles, the automotive industries in both China and Europe have consistently urged the EU to respect the facts, avoid arbitrarily using trade tools to disrupt the market, and refrain from implementing unfair measures that could hinder Chinese-European automotive cooperation. The CCCEU calls on EU institutions and EU member states to listen to the voices of the automotive sectors in both regions and to objectively and rationally assess the development of the manufacturing of electric vehicles in China.
The CCCEU further urges the EU to promote free trade, honor the advancements of globalization, and support the global green transition by canceling countervailing duties on electric vehicles manufactured in China. This action would encourage mutual benefit, strengthen the collaborative development of the automotive industry chain between China and Europe, and boost green trade. It would also contribute meaningfully to global efforts to combat climate change.
简介
欧盟中国商会由中国银行（欧洲）有限公司、中国三峡（欧洲）有限公司和中远海运（欧洲）有限公司发起，于2018年8月31日在布鲁塞尔注册，目前会员单位超100家，代表1000多家在欧中资企业，覆盖主要欧盟成员国。商会位于布鲁塞尔，毗邻欧洲理事会和欧盟委员会等机构，代表中资企业利益，肩负“商通中欧、共创繁荣”的共同使命。
