China’s commerce minister to discuss electric vehicle tariffs with US counterpart
The proposed talks between Wang Wentao and Gina Raimondo come ahead of a key vote by EU members
Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao will discuss US restrictions on electric vehicles with his American counterpart Gina Raimondo, state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday.
On Friday, the EU’s 27 member states are expected to vote on the European Commission’s proposal to impose tariffs of up to 35.3 per cent on the vehicles for the next five years because of concerns about state subsidies.
The United States imposed tariffs of 100 per cent on Chinese-made EVs in May.
Wang and Raimondo last spoke by phone in January and Xinhua said the latest proposed call is part of a communication mechanism, which Wang has stressed must remain “active”.
“The communication between the two commerce ministers will help promote the stable development of China-US economic and trade relations and create favourable conditions for mutually beneficial cooperation between enterprises of the two countries,” the report said.
In January, Wang raised “serious concerns” over US restrictions on the export of chip-making lithography machines, as well as Washington’s investigation into semiconductor supply chains.
