UK has no plans for EU-style tariffs on Chinese EVs: official

LONDON, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) — British Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said that the United Kingdom (UK) has no plans to follow the European Union’s (EU) decision to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle (EV) imports.
Reynolds said that there had not been any complaints from the UK automative industry to the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), and he would not seek to follow the EU in pursuing tariffs, the Reuters reported on Monday.
“We keep it under close analysis, but I think it’s important our industry is different, and as of yet industry itself hasn’t asked for that referral to the TRA,” Reynolds told reporters on the sidelines of the International Investment summit in London.
Britain was an “outlier” in how little it had done in terms of building trade links with China, and engagement was a good thing, Reynolds added.
Reynolds had made similar remarks at the G7 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Italy in July, reaffirming that the UK would not impose punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs like the EU.
China and the EU are yet to reach a mutually acceptable solution on the issue, despite important progress in certain areas, China’s commerce ministry said on Saturday.
The EU’s move has also sparked criticism from several European countries and auto industries, who warn the move could backfire by undermining the EU’s own competitiveness. ■