China calls EU commission probe on Chinese EV tariffs ‘unreasonable’

BEIJING (Reuters) – China urged the European Union Commision to end its probe on Chinese electric vehicle tariffs, calling it “unreasonable” and not in line with international rules, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday.

The Commission, which oversees trade policy in the 27-nation European Union, launched an investigation in October into whether battery electric vehicles manufactured in China were receiving distortive subsidies and warranted extra tariffs.

But the Commission will postpone its decision on tariffs until after the European Parliament election on June 9.

(Reporting by Colleen Howe; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Himani Sarkar)