Chinese automaker SAIC Motor announced on Friday that it will defend its legal rights and formally request the European Commission (EC) to hold a hearing on temporary anti-subsidy tariff measures against Chinese electric vehicles.
The announcement comes after , as the EC on Thursday imposed additional tariffs of up to 37.6% on Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers. Compared to the rates previously published on June 12, some individual duties were reduced slightly due to protests raised by stakeholders over the accuracy of the calculations, the commission said in a statement. It adds that a final decision on certain duties must be made within four months by a vote of EU member states.
SAIC Motor responded that it would effectively protect its "legitimate rights and interests, as well as the interests of its global customers."
The company noted that the EC intruded on commercially sensitive information during its anti-subsidy investigations, including by requiring the company to provide chemical compositions related to batteries, which went beyond standard investigations.
In addition, the EC made errors when calculating subsidies. For example, it included subsidies provided to Chinese buyers of electric vehicles when calculating subsidies for cars sold in the EU.
During the investigation, the EC ignored some of the facts and arguments presented by SAIC Motor. The commission made unfavorable assumptions for it, citing the so-called "non-cooperation with the investigation" in accordance with Article 28 of the basic anti-subsidy rules.
In addition, according to the automaker, over the past decade it has invested almost 150 billion yuan (about 21.04 billion US dollars) in research and development of core technologies, obtaining more than 26 thousand effective patents, which explains SAIC Motor's sales growth throughout Europe.
The company objected to the practice " deliberately establishing trade barriers in the electric vehicle industry" and called for fair competition. Only through open dialogue and cooperation can China and the EU accelerate the pooling of innovation potential and jointly contribute to building a global green and low-carbon economy, the automaker added.
China's Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday that China hopes the EU will cooperate with it and show sincerity in advancing negotiations on the EU's anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles, calling on it to be rational and pragmatic in its consultations.
