No disclosure on specific results doesn’t mean no progress in China-EU EV price commitment talks: expert

While China and the EU have just concluded multiple rounds of intensive negotiations on a proposed price commitment plan concerning Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), certain Western media outlets have hyped in reports that "the EU sees very limited progress in negotiations with China," and that "the bloc currently sees little prospect of a quick deal."

Chinese experts on Tuesday said that the recent visit of European officials to Beijing for consultations is itself a positive progress, with both sides agreeing to continue discussions on EV pricing commitments proposed by China. They added that China has maintained a constructive approach throughout the consultations, urging the EU to earnestly follow through on its commitment to appropriately address the trade dispute.

"In standard negotiation procedures, both sides typically refrain from disclosing specific progress until the final stages. However, it does not mean there is no progress in EV price commitment consultations," Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Faced with the trade dispute concerning EVs, China and the EU are striving to seek a feasible solution acceptable to both sides. Though the process is complex and time-consuming, the negotiation itself represents positive progress, Zhou said.

China and the EU have made progress in negotiations on a proposed price commitment plan concerning Chinese EVs, a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said Friday.

Chinese and EU technical teams held five rounds of talks in Beijing from November 2 to 7, engaging in in-depth discussions on the specifics of the price commitment plan submitted by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, the spokesperson said.

The two sides have agreed to continue negotiations via video or other means, the spokesperson added.

According to a statement issued by the European Commission on Friday, the EU also stressed that European and Chinese officials conducted a week of "intensive discussions" in Beijing on a possible agreement on a price undertaking that would be an alternative to the countervailing duties currently in place for Chinese EV imports, and there was "technical progress" on elements that will need to be addressed to ensure that a price undertaking would be equally effective and enforceable.

"The EU's statement indicates that the negotiation is ongoing. It benefits both sides to avoid escalation of trade disputes and stabilize China-EU economic and trade relations, particularly as the EU seeks to attract Chinese EV technologies and supply chains," Zhang Jian, a vice president at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

However, some EU politicians have taken a hard stance against China over the issue, and certain Western media outlets have attempted to make noise to disturb the process of China-EU consultations, which is not conducive to the talks or to China-EU economic and trade relations, Zhang said.

China "neither recognizes nor accepts"the EU's final ruling on the anti-subsidy investigation into China-made EVs and has filed a suit at WTO under its dispute settlement mechanism, a spokesperson from China's Commerce Ministry said on October 30, after the European Commission announced the imposition of definitive countervailing duties on imports of Chinese EVs for a period of five years.

"As talks continue, there is hope that the EU will seriously consider China's proposal and reach a solution acceptable to both sides by taking into consideration the future of China-EU economic and trade relations, potential benefits to the EU's economy, and the global green transition," Zhang said.

China has shown the utmost sincerity. The EU also needs to show sincerity and work with China in the same direction to reach a solution acceptable to both sides to promote healthy China-EU economic and trade relations, Zhang said.

Responding to the EU side's emphasis on discussion with individual Chinese car exporters over price undertakings, China's Ministry of Commerce emphasized on Friday that advancing the negotiations as a whole based on the plan of China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, which is on behalf of the industry, would help maintain mutual trust, facilitate consensus-building, and resolve differences through consultations, to avoid an escalation of the trade frictions.

Noting the significant interdependence between the Chinese and EU automobile industries as a result of 40 years of fruitful industrial cooperation, Zhou said there is great potential for China and the EU to mutually develop the EV market.

"The EU side should help strengthen Chinese EV makers' confidence rather than impose unnecessary barriers to discourage their drive for innovation and investment in the EU market," he said, noting that "excessive protectionism will only lead to a stagnation in EU's EV market."