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[global times special correspondents in spain and germany liang ruixuan qingmu global times reporter ni hao lin zeyu] since spanish prime minister sanchez called on the eu to "reconsider" the plan to impose additional tariffs on chinese electric vehicles, german chancellor scholz has also joined the opposition. "sanchez turned 180 degrees and put pressure on brussels." spain's el confidencial reported on the 12th that in the eu's vote on imposing additional tariffs on chinese electric vehicles, spain, as a country accounting for 10.67% of the total eu population, has an important position, especially considering that germany, which accounts for 18.7% of the eu population, has also been opposed to imposing tariffs on chinese electric vehicles. in addition to spain and germany, hungary, sweden and other countries have previously opposed or doubted the eu's position. experts interviewed by the global times on the 12th said that this shows that there are obvious differences within the eu on imposing additional tariffs on chinese electric vehicles, but it is still difficult to find a result that both china and the eu can accept.

according to reports, the european commission disclosed the draft final ruling on the anti-subsidy investigation on chinese electric vehicles on august 20. if the eu member states vote in favor, it will officially take effect in early november and impose a tariff of up to 36.3% on chinese electric vehicles for a period of five years. the 27 eu member states must vote on the final tariffs. unless 15 eu member states, which account for 65% of the eu population, vote against it, the european commission's proposal will be implemented. according to industry insiders, in the july intention survey, 12 eu member states, including spain, supported temporary tariffs, 4 member states opposed it, and 11 member states, including germany, abstained.

however, according to the spanish newspaper el mundo on the 11th, spanish prime minister sanchez, who officially ended his four-day visit to china on the 11th, made it clear that eu member states and the european commission must "reconsider" their position on imposing tariffs on chinese electric vehicles. "we don't need a trade war, we need to build a bridge between the eu and china," sanchez said. "we advocate seeking solutions and finding a middle ground between china and the eu."

sanchez praised chinese electric vehicles as "frankly advanced" and worthy of "honorary scholarships (special scholarships established by spanish schools, which can be used to reduce tuition fees for the next year - editor's note)", and believed that "european (auto) brands need to learn from the technology and progress of chinese brands". he also said that one of the purposes of his visit to china is to "attract chinese investment in spain (electric vehicles) so that the latter can establish a complete industrial chain".

"sanchez's statement has given the german federal government a sense of new opportunity." handelsblatt reported on the 11th that the german federal government said on the same day that the number of eu member states that have reservations about the european commission's plan to increase taxes on chinese electric vehicles is increasing. bloomberg reported on the 11th that german chancellor scholz welcomed spain's move through his spokesman steffen hebestreit, saying "this is our common direction forward."

bloomberg reported that after the eu's tariff plan was announced last year, scholz had expressed opposition to excluding chinese electric vehicles from the eu market. the report mentioned that sweden was also skeptical of the eu's position. swedish prime minister ulf kristersson had warned against taking a tough stance on trade with china. according to hungarian media reports, hungary had also repeatedly opposed the imposition of tariffs on chinese electric vehicles.

in response to sanchez's call for all eu member states and the european commission to "reconsider their positions", chinese foreign ministry spokesman mao ning said on the 12th that what prime minister sanchez said reflected rational and objective thinking, and china appreciated it. the development of the electric vehicle industry is in the common interests of china and europe. the two sides will work together to meet challenges, which will benefit companies and consumers on both sides and help china, europe and the world's green transformation. china has always been sincere and actively sought solutions that are in line with wto rules and acceptable to both sides.

tu xinquan, director of the china wto research institute of the university of international business and economics, said in an interview with the global times on the 12th that the clear opposition expressed by countries such as spain and germany shows that there are obvious differences within the eu on whether to impose tariffs on chinese electric vehicles, but the eu's decision ultimately depends on the same position taken by the majority of member states. the current situation still makes it difficult to properly resolve the problem and find a result acceptable to both china and europe.

according to news from china's ministry of commerce on the 12th, minister of commerce wang wentao will visit europe in the near future and will hold talks with european commission executive vice president and trade commissioner valdis dombrovskis on the 19th of this month to discuss the eu's anti-subsidy case against china's electric vehicles.

regarding the above-mentioned talks and consultations, tu xinquan believes that the possibility of china and the eu reaching a proper solution through dialogue and consultation "always exists", and even after the eu's final ruling on imposing tariffs on chinese electric vehicles in early november, the two sides can still uphold the purpose of cooperation and face trade differences. he said that first, according to eu regulations, there is still room for adjustment in the annual review and examination, and second, the two sides can explore more cooperation opportunities in new energy vehicles and other areas.