欧洲联盟在周五作出决定，计划对源自中国的电动汽车实施高达45%的关税制裁，此举动可能引发与北京更为广泛的贸易冲突，中国政府已誓言要保护其国内企业免受损害。
此消息一出，欧洲本土汽车制造商的股票却意外上涨了。欧盟委员会，作为该联盟的执行机构，现可着手落实这些惩罚性措施，预计实施期为5年。在此次投票中，有10个成员国支持这项决定，而德国与另外4个国家反对这一举措，并且还有12个国家选择弃权。
这一欧盟行动背后的原因在于此前对中国行业的补贴调查结果，结论显示中国企业在某些方面存在不公平的补贴现象。北京对此予以否认，并同时威胁将对欧洲乳制品、品牌酒类、猪肉以及汽车等产业实施相应的报复性关税。
为了减少对中国的依赖度，欧盟正积极寻求自产自足之道。前任欧洲央行总裁曾警告称，“中国政府主导的竞争”对于欧盟构成潜在威胁，并可能导致其易受外部压力的控制。去年，中国与欧盟之间的贸易总额达到了7390亿欧元（约8150亿美元）。
针对此次征税事件，中欧双方已同意继续进行谈判，以期寻找到替代关税的可能性。他们探讨了通过建立机制来监管出口商品的价格和数量，以此取代现有征收的惩罚性关税。
欧洲委员会的一份声明中提到：“欧盟与中国的双边关系应寻求符合WTO准则、有效应对调查结果中发现的补贴损害、具备可监控性和强制性的解决方案。”在这一点上，中国商务部对此回应表示接受谈判，并同时警示称此举可能会动摇中国公司对欧洲的投资信心。
由于需求放缓以及在中国这个全球最大的汽车市场上的激烈竞争，欧洲汽车行业一直面临压力。中国本土品牌正逐渐主导电动汽车领域，在这里，欧洲汽车制造商面临来自中国企业的挑战。
关税的实施已经影响到了中国汽车企业在欧销售的增长趋势：在8月，这些车辆的销量同比下滑了48%，达到了18个月来的新低点。尽管欧盟与中国的贸易对中企而言只占较小份额，但这种举动对于整体业务来说仍具有一定的冲击力。
对于那些希望进入欧洲市场或是考虑将工厂布局至欧洲以规避关税的企业来说，这次决策可能成为一股潜在推动力。然而，在国内市场需求放缓挤压利润空间的情况下，中国电动汽车制造商还需决定是否自行承担额外关税负担或选择提高售价，这一抉择颇为艰难。
总的来说，欧盟的这项决定对中国汽车企业的影响有限，因为中国出口到欧盟的总量只占其总销售的一小部分。德国经济部长在此背景下发出警告称，若欧盟实施高关税可能引发贸易战。
在欧盟内部，尽管关键国家如法国表示需要强化保护本国产业以抵御外部压力，但对华贸易政策仍存在不少反对声音与不确感。一些欧洲政府和行业组织对于可能与中国的贸易摩擦表达了忧虑，并支持了德国反对征收更高关税的立场。
值得注意的是，2023年，德国三大汽车制造商梅赛德斯-奔驰、宝马和戴姆勒从中国市场获得了总销量约三分之一的贡献度。如果出现贸易战，则欧洲企业将面临更加严峻的挑战。
新闻来源：www.bloomberg.com
原文地址：EU to Impose Tariffs Up to 45% on Chinese Electric Vehicles
新闻日期：2024-10-04
原文摘要：
The European Union voted on Friday to impose tariffs as high as 45% on electric vehicles from China, threatening a broader trade conflict with Beijing which has already vowed to protect its companies.Shares in European automakers rose after the vote. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, can now proceed with implementing the duties, which would last for five years. Ten member states voted in favor of the measure, while Germany and four others voted against and 12 abstained, according to people familiar with the results.The decision by the EU comes after an investigation found that China unfairly subsidized its industry. Beijing denies that claim and has threatened its own tariffs on European dairy, brandy, pork and automobile sectors.The bloc is actively trying to reduce its dependencies on China, with former European Central Bank President warning last month that “China’s state-sponsored competition” was a threat to the EU that could leave it vulnerable to coercion. The EU, which did €739 billion ($815 billion) in trade with China last year, was split on whether to move forward with the duties.The EU and China will continue negotiations to find an alternative to the tariffs. The two sides are exploring whether an agreement can be reached on a mechanism to control prices and volumes of exports in place of the duties.“The EU and China continue to work hard to explore an alternative solution that would have to be fully WTO-compatible, adequate in addressing the injurious subsidization established by the commission’s investigation, monitorable and enforceable,” the commission said in a announcing the decision.China’s commerce ministry acknowledged the EU’s political will to continue negotiations while warning that the tariffs will “shake and hinder” the confidence of Chinese companies investing in Europe. Europe’s car industry has been reeling from slowing demand and stiff competition in the world’s biggest automotive market of China, where local brands now dominate on electric vehicles. Volkswagen AG has caused consternation in Germany by considering shuttering factories there for the first time to cut costs.After European carmaker shares in the past weeks following a barrage of profit warnings from manufacturers, including Stellantis NV, Mercedes-Benz Group AG and BMW AG, they recovered a bit on Friday’s tariff vote. The Stoxx 600 autos and parts index rose, but that’s because the news was already priced in, said Tom Narayan, an analyst at RBC Europe. The index is still down more than 10% this year — despite the ever-ascending Ferrari NV in the mix.France’s Cognac lobby criticized the move, saying the government had abandoned them. Shares in Pernod Ricard SA fell as much as 1.8%, while Remy Cointreau SA lost as much as 3.1%. Diageo Plc, which has a Cognac and Champagne-producing joint venture with LVMH, was down 1%.Chinese EV makers will have to decide whether to absorb the tariffs or raise prices, at a time when slowing demand at home is squeezing their profit margins. The prospect of duties has prompted some Chinese automakers to consider investing in factories in Europe, which might help them dodge tariffs.A statement from Geely Holding Group Co., which controls Sweden’s Volvo and UK’s Lotus Cars, criticized the decision, saying it’s “not constructive and may potentially hinder EU-China economic and trade relations, ultimately harming European companies and consumer interests.”The additional tariffs already have slowed Chinese carmakers’ momentum in Europe, with their sales 48% in August to an 18-month low. The region is a desirable destination for the nation’s manufacturers because EVs sell in relatively high numbers and at much more robust prices than other export markets.The share of electric cars sold in the EU that were made in China climbed from around 3% to in the past three years. Chinese brands accounted for around 8% of that market share, as international companies that export from China including Tesla Inc. taking up the rest.Still, Europe’s tariff hike will have a “minor impact” on Chinese manufacturers because the region accounts for only a fraction of their total sales, according to Daiwa Securities analyst Kevin Lau. Europe contributed between 1% to 3% of overall sales for BYD Co., Geely and SAIC Motor Corp. in the first four months of this year, he estimated.A spokesperson for Volkswagen said in a statement Friday that tariffs were the “wrong approach” and wouldn’t improve European competitiveness.“We appeal to the EU Commission and the Chinese government to constructively continue the ongoing negotiations for a political solution,” according to the statement. “The common goal must be to prevent any countervailing duties and thus a trade conflict.”Read More: The large number of abstentions in the EU vote betrays unease in many member states about a possible trade war with China, even as key nations like France have said that the bloc needs to defend its own industries more strongly. German Economy Minister warned earlier that imposing the duties could lead to a tariff war.“It’s the right signal from the German government, which — in the interests of the economy, prosperity and growth — has backed the interests of the European and German automotive industry and its employees on such an important issue and voted no today in the EU decision,” Hildegard Müller, president of German car lobby VDA, said in a statement after the vote.While Brussels has sought a level playing field for European companies, Germany’s automakers are concerned about blowback that could exacerbate challenges they’re already having in their most important market globally. Mercedes and BMW pressed Berlin to vote against the higher tariffs and urged the EU to negotiate with Beijing.German automakers including Volkswagen, Mercedes and BMW would be hit hardest in a trade spat as China accounted for roughly a third of their car sales in 2023.
