EU states greenlight extra tariffs on EVs from China

EU countries on Friday gave a definitive green light to hefty additional tariffs on electric cars made in China, despite strong opposition led by Germany and fears it will spark a trade war with Beijing.

The European Commission—which provisionally approved the step in June after an inquiry found that Beijing's state aid to auto manufacturers was unfair—now has free rein to impose steep tariffs for five years from the end of October.

Ten member states, including France, Italy, and Poland, supported imposing the tariffs of up to 35.3 percent, on top of existing duties of 10 percent, several European diplomats told AFP.

Only five, including Germany and Hungary, voted against, while 12 abstained, including Spain and Sweden.

China's commerce ministry in response said it "firmly opposes the EU's unfair, non-compliant and unreasonable protectionist practices in this case."

It "firmly opposes the EU's imposition of anti-subsidy duties on Chinese electric vehicles," a spokesperson added.

The ministry urged EU countries to "return to the right track" by resolving trade friction through dialogue, promising to "safeguard the interests of Chinese companies."

Chinese car giant Geely -- one of the country's largest sellers of EVs -- expressed "great disappointment" in the move.

"The decision is not constructive and may hinder EU-China economic and trade relations, ultimately harming European companies and consumer interests," the firm said.

Although the tariffs did not win support from a majority of states, the opposition was not enough to block them—which would have required at least 15 states representing 65 percent of the bloc's population.

That leaves the choice of moving ahead in the hands of the European...