There are still two months to go before 2 November 2024, the date on which the duties imposed by Europe on imports of Chinese electric cars will be valid for five years. So the date has not yet passed, but time is running out for the Eastern manufacturers, who are clearly opposed to further taxation on the Old Continent.
So, between complaints to the WTO (World Trade Organisation) and counter-rights on European products, including non-automotive products, China is said to be negotiating with the European Commission in search of a diplomatic solution. This is what the Politico.eu website reports, citing anonymous sources, about talks between the parties on 28 August.
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The promises
According to some rumours, BYD, Geely and SAIC met European leaders, demanding the abolition of customs duties in exchange for specific actions on the part of Eastern manufacturers, notably the adoption of a minimum price for their electric cars sold in Europe and a maximum number of annual exports. A process that repeats what happened in 2013 with solar panels from China.
In this way, the market would not be saturated by models from the East and - above all - there would be no downward "game" in the price lists.
Again according to Politico, the negotiating table did not include Tesla, which also manufactures in the Shanghai plant, currently subject to 9% customs duties, the lowest imposed by the Commission.
We do not know if or how the negotiations between the parties will continue, let alone how they will end. It should be pointed out that the European tariffs on Chinese electric cars, a measure taken following an investigation by the European Commission that highlighted the way in which Beijing unduly subsidises domestic manufacturers, are not finding favour with all EU countries. Germany is the most critical country in this respect, with fears of retaliation already being felt - at least on paper.