Von der Leyen: EU to address low prices of Chinese electric cars

Strasbourg, 13 September (CTK special correspondent) – China is artificially keeping the prices of its electric cars low through state subsidies, distorting the market. The European Commission (EC) therefore plans to address the situation. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said so in her State of the Union address to the European Parliament (EP) today. The EU must defend itself against unfair practices by China, she said. Berlin and Paris responded positively to the Commission chief’s announcement.

Global markets are being flooded with cheap electric cars from China, von der Leyen said. „Their prices are being artificially kept low thanks to extensive state subsidies,“ she added. She also announced that the Commission was launching an investigation into Chinese electric cars and the state subsidies received by Chinese carmakers.

The EU must defend itself against unfair Chinese market practices, according to von der Leyen. She pointed, for example, to the experience of the solar power sector in recent years, where China gained a strong position because of low prices. „It is also essential to keep channels of communication and dialogue with China open,“ she said.