Hybrid car exports top agenda as EU envoy reaches ...

Summary

• Hybrid car exports top the agenda as EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic opens two days of talks in Beijing aimed at heading off a trade war with China.
• In particular, Brussels wants China to cap its hybrid car exports voluntarily.
• Hybrid car exports surgeThe EU began charging anti-subsidy duties on fully electric Chinese cars in October 2024.

AI Generated Summary

Hybrid car exports top the agenda as EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic opens two days of talks in Beijing aimed at heading off a trade war with China.

Sefcovic arrived on Thursday for the second meeting of the EU-China Trade and Investment Council. He will chair it alongside Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, and negotiations could run late into Friday.

Brussels wants results it can show before EU leaders meet next Thursday, when China will feature high on their agenda. Officials describe the goal as “tangible, meaningful and measurable” progress.

What Brussels wants from Beijing

At the heart of the plan sits a pilot deal covering a single sector, most likely cars. A successful test could then be widened to chemicals, plastics and further industrial products. In particular, Brussels wants China to cap its hybrid car exports voluntarily.