China Says It Has Agreed to EV Tariffs Negotiations With EU

By Jiahui Huang

China's commerce ministry has said that China and the European Union have agreed to restart negotiations on electric-vehicle tariffs, coming hot on the heels of Trump's announcement of more tariffs.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said at a press conference on Thursday that talks will start as soon as possible, and aim to foster a good environment for Chinese and European companies to invest and work together.

That follows President Trump's announcement of an additional 34% tariff on Chinese goods and a 20% duty on EU goods. A separate 25% tariff on global automotive imports has also featured in the Trump administration's trade policy.

Trade relations between Beijing and the EU have been tense for some time, with the trading bloc imposing higher tariffs on China-made EVs last year, setting a rate of 17.0% for BYD, 18.8% for Geely and 35.3% for SAIC.

The three Chinese automakers challenged the tariffs at the Court of Justice of the European Union in January.

Beijing and the EU held negotiations in November last year, discussing whether China could commit to minimum price requirements for EVs in lieu of the tariffs.

Write to Jiahui Huang at jiahui.huang@wsj.com