BEIJING (Reuters) -Proposed European Union tariffs on Chinese language items will not be a “punishment”, Germany’s Financial system Minister Robert Habeck advised 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 automobiles (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.
Nations 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 firms had benefited unfairly from subsidies.
Any countervailing obligation measure that outcomes from the EU assessment “is not a punishment”, he mentioned, including that such measures had been meant to compensate for the benefits granted to Chinese language firms by Beijing.
“Common, equal standards for market access should be achieved,” Habeck mentioned.
Assembly Zheng Shanjie, chairman of China’s Nationwide Improvement and Reform Fee, Habeck mentioned the proposed EU tariffs had been supposed to degree the taking part in area 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, might be imposed.
Habeck advised Chinese language officers the conclusions of the EU report needs to be mentioned.
“It’s important now to take the opportunity that the report provides seriously and to talk or negotiate,” Habeck mentioned.
CLIMATE DIALOGUE
Though the commerce tensions had been a key matter to be mentioned, the aim of the assembly was to deepen cooperation between each industrialised 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 12 months for cooperation on local weather change and the inexperienced transition.
The international locations acknowledged that they had a particular accountability to forestall world warming of 1.5 levels Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial temperatures, a degree regarded by scientists as essential to stopping probably the most extreme penalties.
China put in nearly 350 gigawatts (GW) of latest renewable capability in 2023, greater than half the worldwide whole, and if the world’s second-biggest financial system maintains this tempo it can seemingly exceed its 2030 goal this 12 months, a report revealed in June by the Worldwide Power Company (IEA) confirmed.
Whereas Habeck praised the growth of renewable vitality in China, he famous that it’s important to not look solely on the growth of renewables, but in addition 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 chargeable for nearly 75% of the worldwide whole coal burned, as governments are likely to prioritise vitality safety, availability and value over the quantity of carbon emissions.
Zheng mentioned China was constructing coal-fired energy crops 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.