周五，欧盟通过了一项决议，决定对源自中国的电动汽车征收更高的关税。此举旨在保护对该地区经济至关重要的汽车行业，并可能加剧与一个重要贸易伙伴之间的紧张关系。
这项决策涉及了全球两大经济体间的巨额贸易往来。同时，这也暴露出了欧盟在成员利益冲突中寻求平衡的挑战：一些成员国视中国为必要的合作伙伴，而其他成员国则将其视为威胁。
新关税相比美国和加拿大实施的100%税率更为温和。然而分析人士指出，欧盟此举体现了与华盛顿建立联系、对华采取强硬立场的努力，却未完全排除中国的可能性。
这一决定将于10月31日起生效，并持续五年，最高税率为45%。但双方均表示仍在进行协商，目标是达成一项协议以解决布鲁塞尔对中国车企在华享有不公平优势的担忧。
“欧盟与中国继续致力于探索替代方案。”欧洲委员会周五声明称，并强调任何解决方案都需遵守世界贸易组织规则。
尽管中国曾试图说服各成员国反对关税决议，但在周五，中国对投票结果表示不满并呼吁欧洲委员会延迟实施该关税。作为仅次于美国的欧盟第二大贸易伙伴，中国对此决定表达了强烈的失望。
中国欧洲商会表示：“我们对投票结果深感失望，并强烈质疑欧盟采取保护主义措施的决心。”
在竞争优势上，中国车企的优势并非源于补贴，而是通过国内市场的激烈竞争形成的供应链。
欧洲官员强调，在与中国达成解决其担忧的协议后，关税有可能被撤销或取消。
面对美国对互联中国汽车和卡车的安全性疑虑，以及自身为保护汽车工业所关注的问题，欧盟显示出更为关切的姿态。去年，汽车制造业贡献了1380万个就业岗位，占地区GDP总量的7%。
在德国等五个国家反对实施这些关税的情况下，汽车制造商与政府担忧此举可能引发与中国之间的贸易摩擦。这五个国家中的三家最大的汽车制造商——宝马、梅赛德斯-奔驰和Volkswagen——在中国有大量投资。
另一些观点认为，新政策将促使中国企业将生产转移至欧洲，为欧盟公民创造就业机会，并推动其专长进入大陆市场。
中国车企如奇瑞、Leapmotor等已与欧洲的多家汽车制造商建立了合资企业，目标是当地生产。比亚迪作为中国的领先汽车制造商，正在竞力建立首座欧洲工厂，与多个国家的分销商合作提供电动汽车和混合动力车型。
新闻来源：www.nytimes.com
原文地址：Europe Votes to Raise Tariffs on Electric Cars From China
新闻日期：2024-10-04
原文摘要：
The European Union voted on Friday to impose higher tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China, risking tensions with an important trading partner in an effort to protect an industry crucial to Europe’s economy. The decision affects billions of dollars of trade between two of the world’s biggest economic powers. The move also reveals how the European Union is struggling to reconcile the conflicting interests of its members, some of whom see China as an essential partner while others view it as a dangerous competitor. The tariffs are much lower than the 100 percent duties imposed by the United States and Canada, but analysts said they reflected Europe’s willingness to build bridges with Washington by taking a tougher stance on China, but without shutting out Beijing entirely. The vote sends “a signal that there’s an emerging consensus in Europe that stronger pushback against China on the economic front is needed,” said Noah Barkin, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund who specializes in Europe’s relationship with China. The tariffs, which take effect on Oct. 31 and last for five years, go as high as 45 percent. But both European and Chinese officials have said they remain in negotiations to reach an agreement that would address Brussels’s concerns about unfair advantages enjoyed by automakers in China. “The E.U. and China continue to work hard to explore an alternative solution,” the commission said in a statement on Friday, adding that any deal would have to be within the rules set by the World Trade Organization. China, which had lobbied individual countries to reject the tariffs, on Friday criticized the vote and called for the European Commission to delay the implementation of the duties while negotiations between the two sides continue. China is the European Union’s second most important trading partner, after the United States. The China Chamber of Commerce to the European Union said in a statement that it was “deeply disappointed with the voting results and strongly dissatisfied with the E.U.’s push for trade protectionism measures.” It argued that the competitive advantages of Chinese electric vehicles stems not from subsidies, but from a supply chain that has developed through fierce market competition inside the country. European officials have said that the tariffs could be called off, or even reversed once implemented, should they reach an agreement with the Chinese that addresses their concerns about unfair advantages. The Biden administration has voiced concerns that internet-connected Chinese cars and trucks pose a national security risk because their operating systems could send sensitive information to Beijing, but Europeans are more concerned about protecting their automotive industry. Last year, that industry provided 13.8 million jobs and accounted for 7 percent of the region’s economic output. In Germany, which was one of only five countries that voted against imposing the tariffs, automakers and the government are concerned that the move could set off a trade war with China. Germany’s three biggest automakers, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, are all heavily invested in China. Others argue it will encourage the Chinese companies to shift their production to Europe, creating jobs for E.U. citizens and bringing their expertise to the continent. Chinese companies including Chery and Leapmotor have already set up joint ventures with automakers in Europe with an eye to producing cars there. BYD, China’s leading automaker, is racing to build its first factory in Europe, working with distributors across more than a dozen European countries to offer electric and hybrid models.
