Beijing complains to WTO over EU tariff hike
Beijing said on Friday it had filed an appeal with the World Trade Organization over the European Union's imposition of additional tariffs on imports of electric vehicles from China. In July, the EU slapped extra provisional duties of up to 38 percent on Chinese EVs after its executive arm concluded in an investigation that they were unfairly undermining European rivals. "On August 9, China appealed to the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement mechanism over the EU's temporary anti-subsidy measures on EVs," a spokesperson for the country's commerce ministry said in a statement. The ministry said the appeal aimed to "safeguard the development rights and interests of the electric vehicle industry and cooperation over the global green transformation". "The EU's preliminary ruling lacks a factual and legal basis, seriously violates WTO rules, and undermines the overall situation of global cooperation in addressing climate change," it said. "We urge the EU to immediately correct its wrong practices and jointly maintain the stability of China-EU economic and trade cooperation as well as EV industrial and supply chains." Brussels said it took note of Beijing's move but was "confident" its probe and provisional measures were WTO-compatible. "The EU is carefully studying all the details of this request and will react to the Chinese authorities in due course according to the WTO procedures," a European Commission spokesperson told AFP. In Geneva, WTO spokesman Ismaila Dieng said the organization had received the Chinese request. "Further information will be made available once the request has been circulated to WTO members," Dieng added in a statement. Definitive duties are due to take effect by November for a five-year period, pending a vote by the EU's 27 states. (AFP)