Hyperdrive

EU Nations Signal Support for Provisional Tariffs on China EVs

  • Several governments abstained in secret non-binding ballot
  • The bloc is acting on findings of anti-subsidy investigation

Electric cars for export at a port in Yantai, China.

Photographer: AFP/Getty Images
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European Union member states signaled support for provisional tariffs on electric vehicles shipped from China in a secret non-binding vote this week that showed the bloc’s appetite for taking on the world’s second-biggest economy over trade concerns.

It isn’t known how each nation voted in the advisory ballot, but it also showed there are still signs of unease. A number of key governments, including Germany, abstained, with some planning to form a firmer position at a later date, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the procedure is confidential.