Are EU trade barriers on China fair? Beijing’s new probe demands answers after bloc action
- An investigation will stretch into 2025. Chinese authorities intend to get answers with questionnaires, public hearings, field inspections
Has the European Union adopted unfair trade practices in the course of targeting Chinese companies? Beijing intends to answer that question with an in-depth investigation that has added heat to an already broiling trade dispute.
China’s trade-and-investment-barrier investigation, which began on Wednesday, is looking at how the EU’s Foreign Subsidy Regulation has affected Chinese companies.
Authorities will use questionnaires, public hearings and field inspections, and aim to be finished by January 10, the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday, adding that the half-year probe could be extended to April 10 under special circumstances.
This came after the EU’s additional duties of up to a revised 37.6 per cent on Chinese-battery electric vehicles (BEVs) took effect on Friday and will initially last for a maximum of four months.
The ministry also recently refuted EU ambassador Jorge Toledo’s remarks that China only recently responded to the EU on tariffs.
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Chinese-made electric vehicles face additional EU import tariffs of up to 38%
Mofcom said EU practices that fall under the scope of China’s investigation include the bloc’s probes into Chinese locomotives, solar panels, wind-power products and security-check equipment.
