China invites EU team for more talks to hammer out EV tariffs dispute

Beijing says it engaged in nearly 3 weeks of negotiations with Brussels, making progress in some areas

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EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles are set to apply from October 31. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:56pm, 12 Oct 2024

China has invited an EU team to visit for further talks on the bloc’s tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, despite the failure of nearly three weeks of negotiations, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

The ministry said on Saturday that from September 20, Chinese and European Union representatives held eight rounds of intense talks over 20 days and made “significant progress” in some areas.

“Yet regrettably, the EU has failed to positively respond to matters relating to the core concerns of Chinese and EU industries,” it said.

“With major differences between the two sides, the consultations have been unable to produce a mutually acceptable solution.”

However, China remained “committed and sincere towards finding solutions through dialogue and consultation”, it said, adding that it hoped an EU technical team could visit China and arrange for talks to “reach a proper solution as soon as possible”.

The talks began after Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and European Commission trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis agreed on September 19 to advance price undertaking negotiations to find a solution acceptable to both sides.