November 11, 2024: China has urged France to push the EU towards a solution acceptable to both the European and Chinese EV industries, in a meeting in Shanghai last Sunday.

Wang Wentao, China’s minister of commerce told French junior trade minister, Sophie Primas, that the EU’s investigation into China’s EVs is a major concern and has ‘seriously hindered’ China-EU auto industry cooperation. He insisted France must take an ‘active role’ in nudging the EU on Chinese EVs.

Primas is on a three-day visit to challenge China over its import duties on brandy, which the French government has said is political and unjustified.

The EU launched an anti-subsidy investigation into imports of Chinese-made battery EVs last year and in October voted for tariffs on those vehicles. China in the past year has launched its own investigations into European pork and dairy, and imposed temporary anti-dumping measures on imports of brandy from the EU early this month.

Wang told Primas that China’s trade remedy investigations on EU brandy, pork and dairy products were in accordance with the domestic industry’s applications and complied with the World Trade Organization rules, “unlike the EU” which was “rash” in launching its EV probe.

“China will continue to conduct investigations in strict accordance with the law, safeguard the legitimate rights of enterprises of EU member states, including France, and make rulings based on facts and evidence,” the ministry statement cited Wang as saying.

But he said China is willing to work with the European Commission towards a “proper solution” as well, without elaborating.

Primas told Wang that the EU refuses to escalate the situation and continues to trade with China “but will not yield to pressure on the essential points. We will continue to defend fairer competition that benefits everyone.”