China's Ministry of Commerce has cautioned the European Union that conducting separate price commitment talks with individual Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers, while simultaneously engaging in general negotiations with China, could undermine mutual trust between the two sides.
A spokesperson from the ministry stated on Monday that such an approach by the European side would disrupt the overall negotiation process and increase administrative costs associated with implementing and monitoring price commitment agreements.
"Mutual trust between the European Union and China will be undermined if the European side conducts separate price commitment talks with certain Chinese firms while engaging in general negotiations with China concerning electric vehicles," the spokesperson warned.
The remarks came after a video conference on October 25 between Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and European Commission Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. During the meeting, China emphasized that the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products had been fully authorized by a diverse range of Chinese enterprises to propose a price commitment plan representing the overall position of the industry.
"On this basis, China and the EU have conducted several rounds of consultations with significant efforts made and some progress achieved," the spokesperson noted.
China expressed hope that both sides would build upon previous consultations and expedite the negotiation process to achieve substantive breakthroughs at the earliest opportunity.
Reference(s):
EU's separate EV price commitment talks will harm mutual trust
cgtn.com
