Position Statement of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers on the EU's Plan to Develop a Unilateral Trade Instrument

On September 30, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers issued a statement saying that recently, some media reports claimed that Germany and France are drafting a joint document calling on the European Commission to develop a unilateral trade tool similar to the U.S. "Section 301 investigation." If such a tool is introduced, it will have a significant impact on China's automobile, battery, and other industries. In response, our association is highly concerned and hereby solemnly states our position as follows. The automobile industry is one of the most representative and dynamic areas of China-EU economic and trade cooperation. Over the years, European vehicle and parts enterprises, relying on China's abundant human resources, complete industrial supporting systems, and vast market space, have achieved sound operating results and substantial investment returns. The Chinese market has become the largest single market in the world for many European automotive groups. At the same time, Chinese automobile enterprises, in cooperating and competing with European brands on the same stage, have withstood the tempering of a high-pressure environment, continuously accumulated technology, management, and market experience, gradually improved their own competitiveness and international business capabilities, and pushed China-EU automobile industry cooperation to continuously expand to a higher level and deeper level. At present, the global automobile industry is undergoing profound transformation toward electrification, intelligence, and connectivity, which brings both huge opportunities and the pains of transition. China and Europe each have their own strengths in the automobile sector: Europe has deep foundations in vehicle research and development, chassis tuning, brand heritage, and safety standards, while China has obvious advantages in new energy vehicles, power batteries, intelligent cockpits, and supply chain efficiency. The two sides can complement each other's strengths, tap cooperation potential in green transformation, technological innovation, and market expansion, and jointly promote the sustainable and healthy development of the global automobile industry. The Chinese side believes that the tool mentioned in the reports is a typical protectionist and unilateral measure. Such measures will not only fail to help solve the transition challenges facing Europe's own automobile industry, but will also affect China-EU economic and trade relations and disrupt the stability of global automobile industrial and supply chains. If the EU insists on pushing ahead with relevant measures, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers will firmly support the Chinese government in taking necessary countermeasures, safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of China's automobile industry, and upholding a fair, just, and non-discriminatory international economic and trade environment.