Chinese envoy dares EU and US to ‘catch up’ in electric vehicles to justify tariffs

With green energy high on agenda for China-Africa summit, Beijing’s ambassador to South Africa takes aim at ‘unreasonable’ EV duties

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Chinese ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng, pictured here in Kenya in 2019, says made-in-China products help reduce carbon dioxide emissions for developed countries by about 570 million tonnes per year. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:00pm, 17 Aug 2024

The US and European Union should step up production of affordable electric vehicles to justify their tariffs on Chinese EVs, Beijing’s top envoy in South Africa said, speaking ahead of a major China-Africa summit where green energy is expected to be high on the agenda.

Chinese ambassador Wu Peng said at a climate change event in Pretoria on Thursday that China – a leader in EV technology, solar energy and other new energy products – had played a big role in cutting harmful carbon emissions.

In 2023, China produced nearly 9.5 million electric vehicles and exported nearly 1.8 million, which helped cut global carbon emissions by about 50 million tonnes, Wu said.

Wu then challenged the EU and US, which have imposed high tariffs on Chinese EVs, to catch up to China in making green vehicles.

“Let’s wait and see. If they can catch up to produce more EVs [that are] affordable for the customers in a very quick way, I think that’s OK, no problem,” he said. “But if they don’t, I think [the tariff policy is] a little bit unreasonable.”

Wu made the comments during a climate change and just transition workshop organised by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and the Chinese embassy in South Africa ahead of next month’s 2024 Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit.