Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday called for a reconsideration of the European Union’s import tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and for building bridges between China and the EU instead of confrontation.
“We don’t need another war, in this case a trade war,” Sánchez said at the end of a visit to China, where he met President Xi Jinping and other top Chinese officials.
“I think we need to build bridges between the European Union and China,” he added. Spain would act in a constructive way and try to find a compromise on the issue, he said.
“I have to be blunt and honest. I think we all, not only the member states but also the Commission, have to reconsider our position towards this movement,” said the Spanish prime minister, who stressed that Spain was reconsidering its own position.
Spain has supported additional tariffs on Chinese electric cars this summer, according to media reports, but the country has indicated it may change its stance ahead of a key vote in October.
The commission announced the tariffs in June after a lengthy investigation, imposing “provisional countervailing duties” on top of standard tariffs on electric cars imported from China.
According to Brussels, Chinese manufacturers receive ‘unfair’ subsidies that lead to distortions on the EU market.
Beijing accuses the EU of protectionism and has responded with investigations into EU pork imports. Spain, a major exporter of pork products, could be hit hard by restrictions.
