The Ministry of Commerce Photo: VCG

Chinese, EU technical teams held five rounds of in-depth consultations on the specifics of the electric vehicle (EV) price commitment plan from November 2 to 7 in Beijing, achieving notable progress, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said on Friday.

The Chinese side believes that it would help to maintain mutual trust, accelerate consensus-building and resolve differences through dialogue if the two sides push for progress on consultations based on the price commitment plan submitted by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, on behalf of the Chinese electric vehicle industry. 

The two sides agreed to continue consultations via video conferences or other means of communication.

At the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE), running from November 5 to 10 in East China's commercial hub of Shanghai, many exhibitors expressed opposition to the EU's tariff measures targeting Chinese EV imports, reported CCTV.

In an October 25 video call, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and European Commission Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis reaffirmed their commitment to resolving differences through consultation and emphasized that both sides would continue exploring price commitments as a solution to the EU's anti-subsidy case against Chinese EVs.

On October 29, the EU announced definitive countervailing duties of up to 35.3 percent on EVs imported from China for five years while affirming its commitment to continued consultations with China on price commitments. 

On November 4, China announced it had appealed to the WTO regarding the EU's final ruling on the countervailing measures.

Global Times