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D-Day looms for China’s exporters as EU moves towards October 4 vote on EV tariffs

Chinese car companies’ offers to set minimum prices for their imports run up against toughening resolve led by France and others

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People look at the Onvo L60 SUV, the first offering from Chinese electric-vehicle maker Nio’s new lower-priced brand, in Shanghai in May. Photo: Reuters
October 4 is a date that cannot come soon enough for European Union bureaucrats, but one the Chinese government desperately wants to avert.
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This coming Friday, the EU’s 27 member states are slated to hold a crucial vote on whether to sign punitive tariffs of up to 35.3 per cent on Chinese-made electric vehicles into law for five years.

As Beijing looks to strike a deal that would nix the duties, talks with the European Commission will continue right up to the last minute.

Martin Lukas, the commission’s director of trade defence, broke away from “almost daily” technical negotiations to brief European Parliament lawmakers during a hearing on Monday.

China EVs hit with EU tariff hike

Chinese companies have made multiple offers to set minimum prices for EV imports, Lukas explained.

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