mkphoto taken on March 21, 2024 shows a production line of BYD, China's leading new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer, in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2024/2024-12-23/dd412d28-5921-4d23-8ab7-fcc50889990e.jpeg" />

This photo taken on March 21, 2024 shows a production line of BYD, China's leading new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer, in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCCEU) has launched an automotive working group, in an effort to better support Chinese automakers in the European market and strengthen cooperation, the CCCEU said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Wednesday.

The new working group comes as China and the EU have been in talks over the bloc's imposition of additional tariffs on China-made electric vehicles (EVs). 

On Friday, Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and Ola Källenius, president of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association and chairman of Mercedes-Benz, held a video call, during which the two sides exchanged views on the EU's anti-subsidy moves targeting Chinese EVs, as well as China-Europe auto cooperation.

Properly resolving the EU's anti-subsidy case regarding Chinese EVs is in the best interests of both China and the EU, as well as the industry, Wang said, according to a statement from China's Commerce Ministry.

The inauguration ceremony for the CCCEU automotive working group took place during the China-Portugal and China-EU Cooperation Development Forum held in Lisbon, Portugal on Tuesday, according to the CCCEU. 

As the global automotive industry undergoes profound changes and Chinese enterprises accelerate their expansion in Europe, China-EU automotive cooperation has entered a crucial adjustment phase, the CCCEU said, adding that attendees at the ceremony agreed that the establishment of the CCCEU automotive working group was timely and strategically important.

Speaking at the event, Zhang Hui, chairman of the CCCEU automotive working group, said that as the global automotive industry rapidly transitions toward electrification and intelligence, China's automotive sector has demonstrated remarkable market vitality and innovation, particularly in the new-energy vehicle segment. 

Zhang said that the working group will serve as an important platform "for Chinese automakers to voice their concerns, facilitate communication, and strengthen cooperation both internally and externally in Europe."

The CCCEU noted that since the EU launched an anti-subsidy probe into Chinese EVs, companies within the automotive supply chain have been calling for the creation of such a working group, and hope the group will covey their voices and better support relevant enterprises in the European market.

The launch of the new working group will better help Chinese enterprises operate in the EU market, which is still an important market, and it may also play a role in facilitating dialogue between the two sides over the proper resolution of the EU's additional tariffs on China-made EVs, Wang Yiwei, director of the EU research center at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Wang noted that the Chinese side has made concrete efforts to resolve the dispute, and the EU side should meet China halfway.