Chinese-funded automakers should have fair and impartial market access to the European Union, the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU said on Wednesday, expressing concern that the bloc might shift from its de-risk policy towards China towards decoupling.
The remarks came after meetings between a CCCEU auto working group with EU trade officials in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a statement from the CCCEU.
China and the EU are locked in a row over EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs. Efforts are underway to replace the levies with minimum prices, but no concrete progress has been made so far.
“The industry is closely following the progress of the ‘minimum price commitment’ negotiations and looks forward to positive outcomes,” the CCCEU said in the statement.
Representatives from six Chinese companies including NIO, XPeng, Xiaomi, EVE Energy and Gotion High-Tech, attended the meetings in Brussels.
The working group also expressed concern that global trade tensions might affect the stability of the EU market, or prompt a shift in EU policy towards China.
In particular, it noted concerns that the EU’s “de-risk” policy of reducing over-reliance on China in certain areas might shift to a potentially more damaging de-coupling.
