“Both sides agreed to base their case on the facts and fully respect WTO rules,” he added. “The EU emphasized that the outcome of the negotiations on the inquiry must be effective in tackling harmful subsidies.” The two sides will “continue to cooperate at all levels in the coming weeks.”
The EU and China are locked in an escalating trade war, with the EU announcing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles earlier this month and China launching an anti-dumping investigation into EU pork products.
German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck is currently visiting China for the first time during his term. He said the EU’s proposed tariffs on imports of Chinese electric vehicles were not a “punishment” but compensation for the advantages they had given the country. company.
“It is important to understand that these are not punitive tariffs,” Habeck said, contrasting the EU measures with those implemented by countries including the United States, Brazil and Turkey, according to Reuters. Habeck said the European Commission spent nine months investigating in great detail whether Chinese companies had benefited unfairly from subsidies.
