WTO to examine China complaint over EU electric vehicle tariffs

By AFP
April 26, 2025
An electric vehicle charging station is seen at the Volkswagen display during the media day at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 14, 2019. — Reuters
An electric vehicle charging station is seen at the Volkswagen display during the media day at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 14, 2019. — Reuters

GENEVA: The World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreed on Friday to establish an expert panel to examine a complaint from Beijing over the European Union’s decision to impose hefty tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars.

The extra taxes of up to 35 per cent were announced last October after an EU probe found Chinese state subsidies were undercutting European automakers. When China initially brought the case to the WTO late last year, it said it did not “agree with or accept” the tariffs.

“China will... take all necessary measures to firmly protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” Beijing’s commerce ministry said at the time. China’s representative told a closed-door meeting of the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body Friday that the country considered the EU measures inconsistent with international trade rules, according to a Geneva-based trade official.