China announced on Friday that it had filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) Following the decision of the European Union (EU) to impose tariffs on imports of Chinese electric vehicles.
Brussels announced provisional tariffs in July up to 38% on Chinese electric vehicle imports in the EU, considering that Beijing illegally subsidizes its manufacturers.
Until then, the tax on vehicles from Chinese factories was 10%.
Brussels has four months to make these tariffs final, leaving a window for dialogue with Beijing until November.
“China has resorted to the World Trade Organisation’s dispute resolution mechanism,” the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Friday, urging the EU to “immediately correct its bad practices.”
According to Beijing, Brussels “is seriously violating World Trade Organization rules.”
The EU says it is complying with WTO rules with these tariffs, which are intended to curb imports of Chinese electric vehicles without blocking them altogether, unlike the US policy.
A spokesman for the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, told AFP on Friday that the institution is “confident” that the measures adopted are compatible with WTO rules.
“The EU is carefully analysing the details of this request. [de China] and we will react to the Chinese authorities in due course, in accordance with WTO rules,” he added.
In Europe, Chinese brands are rapidly gaining market share thanks to their competitive prices.
Source: Ambito
