Just yesterday, the EU's proposal to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles was finally approved, garnering support from several major European nations, including France and Italy.
However, the nature of this vote has sparked widespread reflection.
In this voting session, only 10 EU countries voted in favor, while aside from 5 opposing votes, most countries chose to abstain.
This clearly indicates the evident internal divisions within the EU on this issue.
Although the voting result has adverse effects on the Chinese market, there remains a possibility for continued negotiations.
Currently, China is an important market for several EU countries and also a key investor.
If the EU insists on imposing tariffs, China may consider withdrawing all its investments in the EU while retaliating.
Since last year, the EU has initiated anti-subsidy investigations against Chinese electric vehicles; despite the investigation not revealing any issues, the EU still opted to protect its own interests.
In March this year, discussions on taxing Chinese electric vehicles began within the EU, and related proposals were passed in mid-June.
Although many countries and companies oppose this, the outcome remains unchanged.
After the proposal was approved, China strongly opposed the EU's actions and initiated retaliatory investigations against EU meat products and some by-products.
This move has made many EU countries reliant on the Chinese market feel uneasy, as the scale of the Chinese market should not be underestimated.
In response to China's countermeasures, the EU decided to suspend the tariff proposal on Chinese electric vehicles and conduct a vote among all members, hoping to handle the matter in a more "democratic" manner.
After multiple delays, the final voting date was set for October. In an earlier preliminary vote, although 12 countries expressed support, those opposing and abstaining still outnumbered them.
On October 4, the EU's vote on taxing Chinese electric vehicles officially commenced, with 10 countries voting in favor, 5 against, and 12 choosing to abstain.
Logically, the number of votes in favor did not exceed half, and the proposal should have failed.
However, the EU has a unique set of voting rules that complicate the situation.
According to the rules, a proposal can only be rejected if the opposing votes exceed 15 or if the total population of opposing countries surpasses 65% of the EU's total population.
Given the large population bases of France and Italy, it was easy for them to meet this condition by uniting with other supportive countries.
Thus, ultimately, with the support of 10 countries, the EU's tariff proposal was successfully passed.
Although the principle of "the minority obeys the majority" seems like a reasonable democratic principle, the outcome of this vote has not garnered widespread approval.
Countries firmly opposing it, like Germany and Hungary, along with the 12 abstaining countries, reflect the complexity of interests among member states.
While these countries are all part of the EU, they tend to prioritize their own interests over collective ones.
France's support stems from a decline in its automobile market share in China; with the rise of Chinese electric vehicles, French car brands have lost competitiveness.
Germany, on the other hand, exports a large number of cars to China annually, which is why it opposes this proposal.
Germany's stance on this issue is closely linked to its economic interests; supporting the tax would likely lead to Chinese retaliation, impacting its automobile industry and economic development.
Now, in light of the approval of the tax proposal, the countries in favor of tariffs seem to have forgotten the realities of economic globalization.
In this era of interconnectedness, imposing trade barriers to protect one’s own interests appears extremely foolish.
Once such a trend is established, it could trigger a chain reaction affecting trade in other areas, placing the EU at risk of becoming "closed-off."
For countries that abstained, there remains an opportunity to negotiate with China; as long as they are willing to communicate and cooperate, China will leave them a way out.
Notably, Hungary has consistently supported China, believing that the EU's actions threaten global trade and impact its export economy.
Hungary has decided not to implement the EU's tax policy and may encourage other countries to follow suit.
This approach will significantly undermine the EU's credibility and status.
To date, the voting on the EU's proposal to tax Chinese electric vehicles has concluded; although the proposal has been approved, the specific implementation date remains undetermined.
Before any implementation, China is still willing to negotiate with the EU.
China will not treat supporting countries unfairly, while those actively opposing may face losses to their own interests.
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