On the date of the month, the European Commission published the final ruling on the anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles in the Official Journal of the European Union, announcing an additional anti-subsidy duty of up to 14% on Chinese electric vehicles for a period of five years, effective from the 15th of the month.

Among the sampled Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, BYD's tax increased by .%, Geely's tax increased by .%, SAIC Group's tax increased by .%, and other cooperative companies' tax increased by .%.

Facing the egregious acts of unilateral trade barriers by the European Union, China absolutely does not agree with and will not accept them. Currently, the Chinese government has filed a lawsuit under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, and in the future, it will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

Returning kindness for enmity, China shows full sincerity. Previously, in the face of the EU's tough stance, China did not choose to confront head-on but actively engaged in communication and mediation. Since late September, Chinese and European negotiators have held multiple rounds of technical consultations, attempting to resolve differences through dialogue. China has demonstrated full sincerity in these negotiations, agreeing to further discuss price commitments on a practical and balanced basis.

Double-dealing and betrayal: the EU's broken promises. Despite China's utmost sincerity, the EU's responses have been consistently negative, frequently setting obstacles in negotiations and increasing their complexity. Worse still, the EU has attempted to bypass China's sole legally authorized representative in negotiations, privately meeting with Chinese enterprises in an attempt to exploit them one by one to create pricing gaps. Such actions not only violate the principles of equality and mutual trust in international trade but also severely damage mutual trust between China and the EU, causing extremely detrimental effects on the negotiations.

BYD electric vehicles being shipped overseas.

Drinking poison to quench thirst, the EU reaps what it sows. Due to doubts about EU policies and pessimistic market sentiments, several Chinese automakers, including Dongfeng, Changan, and Chery, have halted or postponed their investments, production, or sales activities in Europe. The EU's trade protection policies not only directly impact the overseas expansion of China's electric vehicle industry but also shift political costs to European consumers and businesses, stifling the green transition process within the EU and globally.

More importantly, the escalating Sino-European trade friction could bring strong shocks to bilateral and multilateral economic and trade relations, and further have spillover effects on the geopolitical landscape. Historical experience has repeatedly proven that tariffs have never been the golden solution to enhancing competitiveness; relying on raising tariffs to hinder fair market competition is undoubtedly drinking poison to quench thirst. The European Union must re-examine its capricious short-sighted policies and must not let trade protectionism harm the common interests of China, Europe, and the global community!