Proposed European Union tariffs on Chinese language items usually are not a “punishment”, Germany’s Economic system Minister Robert Habeck instructed Chinese language officers in Beijing on Saturday.
Habeck’s go to to China is the primary by a senior European official since Brussels proposed hefty duties on imports of Chinese language-made electrical autos (EVs) to fight what the EU considers extreme subsidies.
China warned on Friday forward of his arrival that escalating frictions with the EU over EVs might set off a commerce struggle.
“It is important to understand that these are not punitive tariffs,” Habeck mentioned within the first plenary session of a local weather and transformation dialogue.
International locations such because the U.S., Brazil and Turkey had used punitive tariffs, however not the EU, the financial system minister mentioned. “Europe does things differently.”
Habeck mentioned that for 9 months, the European Fee had examined in nice element whether or not Chinese language corporations had benefited unfairly from subsidies.
Any countervailing obligation measure that outcomes from the EU evaluation “is not a punishment”, he mentioned, including that such measures have been meant to compensate for the benefits granted to Chinese language corporations by Beijing.
“Common, equal standards for market access should be achieved,” Habeck mentioned.
Assembly Zheng Shanjie, chairman of China’s Nationwide Growth and Reform Fee, Habeck mentioned the proposed EU tariffs have been meant to stage the taking part in discipline with China.
Zheng responded: “We will do everything to protect Chinese companies.”
The EU provisional duties are set to use by July 4, with the investigation set to proceed till Nov. 2, when definitive duties, usually for 5 years, may very well be imposed.
Habeck instructed Chinese language officers the conclusions of the EU report ought to be mentioned.
“It’s important now to take the opportunity that the report provides seriously and to talk or negotiate,” Habeck mentioned.
Local weather dialogue
Though the commerce tensions have been a key subject to be mentioned, the purpose of the assembly was to deepen cooperation between each industrialized nations for the inexperienced transition.
This was the primary plenary session of the local weather and transformation dialogue after Germany and China signed a memorandum of understanding in June of final yr for cooperation on local weather change and the inexperienced transition.
The international locations acknowledged they’d a particular accountability to stop international warming of 1.5 levels Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial temperatures, a stage regarded by scientists as essential to stopping probably the most extreme penalties.
China put in virtually 350 gigawatts (GW) of latest renewable capability in 2023, greater than half the worldwide complete, and if the world’s second-biggest financial system maintains this tempo it is going to doubtless exceed its 2030 goal this yr, a report revealed in June by the Worldwide Vitality Company (IEA) confirmed.
Whereas Habeck praised the enlargement of renewable vitality in China, he famous that it will be important to not look solely on the enlargement of renewables, but additionally the general CO2 emissions.
Coal nonetheless accounted for practically 60% of China’s electrical energy provide in 2023. “China has a coal-based energy mix,” Zheng mentioned.
China, India and Indonesia, are accountable for virtually 75% of the worldwide complete coal burned, as governments are inclined to prioritise vitality safety, availability and value over the quantity of carbon emissions.
Zheng mentioned China was constructing coal-fired energy vegetation as a safety measure.
“I still believe that the enormous expansion of coal power can be done differently if one considers the implication of renewables in the system,” Habeck replied.
