Beijing cautions EU against holding separate talks with Chinese companies

ISTANBUL

Beijing on Thursday warned the EU against holding separate talks with Chinese companies, as both sides are already engaged in dialogue regarding the EU's anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles.

While China and the EU continue to hold dialogue on trade remedies, "the EU's separate talks with individual Chinese firms risk damaging mutual trust and slowing down overall progress," Commerce Ministry spokesman He Yadong said, according to the state-run news agency Xinhua.

Beijing and the EU held trade remedy discussions earlier this week, and those consultations are set to continue next week, he added, welcoming the EU's decision to resume consultations on price undertakings and expressing appreciation for "its return to the path of resolving differences through dialogue."

China has put forward "a solution that would represent a unified industry position," he said, adding that the two sides "have since held multiple rounds of consultations on this basis and made progress."

"China hopes the EU will act on the important consensus reached by the leaders of both sides, strictly adhere to the principle of non-discrimination, and, building on earlier efforts, properly resolve the frictions through dialogue and consultation at an early date.

"This would foster an open and stable market environment for the development of industries in both China and the EU," he added.

According to a South China Morning Post report last week, the EU has for the first time launched a formal review of a price undertaking offer from a company seeking to avoid its tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, following a submission from Volkswagen’s Chinese joint venture.