Chinese officials negotiate EU EV tariffs in Brussels
A delegation of senior Chinese trade officials, led by Vice-Commerce Minister Li Fei, is currently in Brussels to discuss upcoming EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), which could reach up to 36.3%. This visit precedes a crucial vote by EU member states later this month. The delegation’s meetings with EU counterparts and EU’s Director General for Trade Sabine Weyand aim to pave the way for high-level talks between Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis next week. Concurrently, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to help mediate the trade tensions. In response to the proposed tariffs, China has initiated retaliatory investigations into EU pork and dairy products. Despite these trade issues, Chinese EV makers such as BYD, Li Auto, Nio, and Xpeng have reported increased sales in August.