China and Europe reach consensus on consultations on hybrid and electric vehicles Expert interpretation →

Recently, China and the EU have continued dialogue under the trade and investment consultation mechanism. The two sides have conducted close consultations on hybrid and electric vehicle trade based on the principles of mutual respect and equal consultation. Experts said that China and the EU can resolve trade differences through dialogue and consultation and reach consensus on the trade of hybrid and electric vehicles, which will help ease trade friction and inject positive energy and stability into the current turbulent global trade pattern.

Expert: Guaranteed stable growth of China’s automobile exports to Europe

Experts said that this time, China and the EU adhered to the three basic principles of "respect for facts, non-discrimination and compliance" and reached an understanding on hybrid vehicle trade.

Chen Jingjing, Secretary-General of the Automobile Branch of the China Chamber of Commerce for Machinery and Electronics: Judging from EU import statistics, the number of hybrid vehicles imported from China in 2025 will be 302,000. On this basis, an upward arrangement has been reached, with a fixed increase every year, maintaining stable growth, and fully taking into account the concerns of the Chinese and European industries.

According to Chinese customs statistics, in 2025, China's hybrid vehicle exports to the EU will account for about one-third of total vehicle exports to Europe. Experts said that in the final consensus reached, China did its best to obtain a higher quota for hybrid vehicles, and the quota has a fixed increase every year, ensuring the stable growth of China's automobile exports to Europe.

In addition, the consultation consensus also made it clear that the price commitment and review procedures for the anti-subsidy case for electric vehicles will be actively promoted.

Chen Jingjing, Secretary-General of the Automobile Branch of China Chamber of Commerce for Machinery and Electronics: The industry is also paying close attention to the progress of the European side on this incident. According to the principle of compliance, China retains all rights under the WTO framework and will resolutely safeguard the interests of the industry.

Expert: Stabilizing industry trade and investment expectations

Experts also said that China and the EU have reached a consensus on the trade of hybrid and electric vehicles, which has had a positive impact on the industries of both sides, stabilized expectations, retained room for growth, and is conducive to the achievement of future industrial cooperation between the two sides.

Chen Jingjing, Secretary-General of the Automobile Branch of the China Chamber of Commerce for Machinery and Electronics: Since the second half of this year, the Chinese and European negotiating teams have reached a consensus after more than 30 rounds of arduous consultations, and the results are hard-won. The Chinese team has always maintained an open and transparent attitude, fully understood the opinions and demands of industry companies, and maintained close communication with the Chinese and European automotive industries.

Experts said that on the basis of reciprocity and mutual benefit, China and the EU reached a consensus on the trade of hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles, which not only avoided the escalation of China-EU trade frictions, but also provided a stable, predictable and sustainable trade and investment environment for both China and the EU. The Chinese team negotiated arduously with the European side and promoted the management and control of frictions and differences through dialogue and negotiation, ultimately breaking through the limitations of the original safeguard measures and safeguarding the actual interests of Chinese companies to the greatest extent.

(CCTV reporter Liu Ying and Zhang Xin)