The European Commission accuses China of artificially lowering the price of electric vehicles through high subsidies, thereby harming the interests of European companies.Image: trapezoid
Berne said that in principle, trade policy protection measures are not in Switzerland’s interests.
October 4, 2024 16:48October 4, 2024 16:52
Federal experts say the EU's punitive tariffs on Chinese electric cars will have no impact on Swiss imports.
EU member states on Friday approved the European Commission's proposal to impose additional tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
How does the federal government defend itself?
In July, when the European Commission introduced temporary punitive tariffs at the request of the EU, a spokesman for the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) said that Switzerland did not have any obligation to comply with trade policy protection measures or other EU tariff decisions. Keystone-SDA News Agency. In principle, protectionist trade policy measures are not in Switzerland’s interests.
The spokesperson said that starting from January 1, 2024, Switzerland will no longer impose tariffs on imported industrial products, including automobiles.
In addition, the free trade agreement with China stipulates that industrial products originating in China are completely exempt from tariffs. If Chinese cars are imported directly to Switzerland, they can still be imported duty-free.
Why does the EU impose punitive tariffs?
The European Commission announced the additional tariffs after an investigation accused Beijing of promoting electric vehicles with subsidies that distorted the EU market.
It is up to the European Commission to decide whether import tariffs will come into effect in early November. The European Commission said on Friday that the EU and China would continue to look for alternative solutions.
China wants to stick to talks despite EU countries voting to impose additional tariffs on electric vehicles. “China hopes that the EU will realize that imposing additional tariffs will not solve any problems and will only shake and hinder the confidence and determination of Chinese enterprises in investing and cooperating with Europe,” Beijing's Ministry of Commerce said.
According to its own information, the European Commission has received the necessary support from member states to impose planned countervailing duties on Chinese electric vehicles. The European Commission announced that its proposal to impose high tariffs on these electric vehicles has received the necessary support from EU countries.
German auto industry criticizes EU tariffs on Chinese electric cars
Hildegard Muller, chairman of the German Automobile Industry Association, called on both sides to prevent negotiations from escalating. “It is best to avoid tariffs so that we do not face the risk of trade conflicts.” Solutions must be found in constructive discussions. China and the EU must get closer to each other.
The Volkswagen Group also continues to demand a negotiated solution. “We call on the European Commission and the Chinese government to constructively continue ongoing negotiations on a political solution,” it said in a statement.
(DSC(SDA)
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