On Tuesday, the European Commission said that it disclosed to interested parties the draft decision on imposing import duties on Chinese electric vehicles, which, depending on the manufacturer, will range from 17% to 36.3%. For instance, the duties applied to US electric carmaker Tesla are set at 9%. The measures are expected to be finalized by November.
"The chamber expresses its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the EC's protectionist approach … it will exacerbate trade tensions between China and the EU, sending a profoundly negative signal to global cooperation and green development," the chamber said in a statement on X on Tuesday.
The statement added that the EU had not provided sufficient evidence to prove that Chinese electric vehicles cause significant material harm to the EU market.
" … Competitiveness of electric vehicles made in China is not driven by subsidies but by factors such as industrial scale, comprehensive supply chain advantages, and intense market competition," the statement read.
The EU's unfair use of trade instruments to impede free trade in electric vehicles will ultimately "weaken the resilience of the European electric vehicle industry" and undermine the green transition in the bloc, the chamber noted.