China EU relations

 
The automotive working group of the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCCEU) held working meetings from Tuesday to Wednesday in Brussels with officials from the cabinet of EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic and Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's committee on international trade, marking the first formal meeting between the automotive working group, established in February this year, and these two major EU institutions, CCCEU said in a WeChat post on Wednesday. 
 
The delegation was led by Zhang Hui, chair of the automotive working group, and included representatives from six member companies: NIO, XPeng, Xiaomi, EVE Energy, Gotion High-tech, and CATARC Europe Testing and Certification GmbH.

According to the WeChat post, the meeting included three major topics covering the impact of global trade changes on EU policies, EU tariff policy on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), and the environment and prospects for Chinese investment in Europe. 

The working group expressed concerns about the potential "spillover effects" of global trade tensions on EU policy directions, particularly whether the EU might shift from "de-risking" to "decoupling" under pressure, restrictions on Chinese products perceived as "circumventing exports," and the potential impact of US-EU trade frictions on the stability of the European market.

As for the EU's tariffs on Chinese EVs, the automotive working group pointed out that the EU's current imposition of additional tariffs on Chinese EVs is clearly contradictory to its climate goals.

Chinese automakers in Europe provide competitive zero-emission transportation solutions and should receive fair and equitable market access. The industry is closely following the progress of "minimum price commitment" negotiations, hoping that China and the EU can achieve positive outcomes to enhance certainty for bilateral and international economic and trade cooperation.

The working group also expressed concerns over the rising uncertainty caused by EU policy tools such as the Foreign Subsidies Regulation and the Foreign Direct Investment Screening framework. The group hopes that the EU will fully consider the opinions of all industry stakeholders before introducing specific measures under the Action Plan for the European Automotive Industry, ensuring transparent and fair policies to safeguard the normal development of Chinese-funded enterprises legally operating in Europe.

Sefcovic's cabinet and Lange engaged in candid, friendly, and constructive discussions with the attending representatives on the issues raised by the automotive working group. They expressed willingness to maintain ongoing communication with the CCCEU and its working groups, including the automotive working group.

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao talked with Sefcovic on June 19 via video link, the Ministry of Commerce said in a post on June 20. The two sides conducted in-depth and professional exchanges on areas of China-EU economic and trade cooperation, including trade remedy cases such as the EU's EVs anti-subsidy case, as well as export controls and market access issues. 

Global Times