The Ministry of Commerce of China File photo: VCG

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced on Monday the progress of China-EU consultations on the EU's anti-subsidy case concerning Chinese battery electric vehicles (EVs). According to the MOFCOM's statement, in order to implement the consensus of the China-EU Summit and properly resolve the EU's anti-subsidy case concerning Chinese battery EVs, China and the EU have conducted multiple rounds of consultations in the spirit of mutual respect. Both sides believe it's necessary to provide general guidance on price undertakings for Chinese exporters exporting battery electric vehicles for passengers to the EU, thereby enabling them to address relevant concerns in a way that is more practical, targeted, and consistent with WTO rules.

To this end, the EU will issue the Guidance Document on Submission of Price Undertaking Offers, in which the EU acknowledges that it will assess each price undertaking offer against the same legal criteria in an objective and fair manner, following the principle of non-discrimination and in accordance with relevant WTO rules, per the MOFCOM.

The progress fully reflects the spirit of dialogue and the outcomes of consultations between China and the EU. It shows that both China and the EU have the ability and willingness to properly resolve differences through dialogue and consultation under the framework of WTO rules and maintain the stability of automotive industrial and supply chains in China, the EU, and the whole world. This is conducive not only to ensuring the healthy development of China-EU economic and trade relations, but also to safeguarding the rules-based international trade order, the MOFCOM said.

Global Times