The China Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (CCCEU) has expressed strong dissatisfaction and opposition to the European Commission’s (EC) recent pre-disclosure of its proposed definitive measures in the ongoing anti-subsidy investigation targeting Chinese battery electric vehicles (BEVs). In a statement released on August 20, the CCCEU criticized the EC’s proposal to impose a five-year countervailing duty ranging from 17 percent to 36.3 percent on BEVs produced by Chinese and European manufacturers in China. Additionally, a 9 percent duty has been proposed on EVs produced by Tesla in China.
The chamber voiced concerns that the EC’s decision reflects a protectionist approach that not only undermines free trade but also threatens the resilience of the European electric vehicle industry. The CCCEU emphasized that the development of the European EV industry, along with findings from the EC’s own report, shows insufficient evidence to support claims that China’s BEVs are causing substantial material injury in the EU market.
The statement further argued that the EC’s reliance on the “threat of injury” to justify these trade measures contradicts World Trade Organization (WTO) principles and is unacceptable to the industry. The CCCEU stressed that the competitiveness of Chinese-made electric vehicles stems not from subsidies but from factors such as industrial scale, a comprehensive supply chain, and fierce market competition.
The CCCEU warned that the EC’s decision to impose these duties would disrupt the level playing field, weaken the EU’s green transition efforts, and exacerbate trade tensions between China and the EU. The chamber called on EU institutions and member states to objectively assess the development of China’s electric vehicle manufacturing and to avoid arbitrarily using trade tools that could hinder cooperation between the automotive industries in China and Europe.
In closing, the CCCEU urged the EU to cancel the proposed countervailing duties and to promote free trade, honor globalization’s advancements, and support the global green transition. Such actions, the chamber argued, would foster mutual benefits, strengthen the collaborative development of the automotive industry chain between China and Europe, and contribute meaningfully to global efforts to combat climate change
