EU member states set to confirm EV tariffs, resisting German, Chinese lobbying

Sander Tordoir, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform, said it would be “profoundly damaging” to the EU’s global credibility if Beijing had succeeded in “peeling off” enough member states to block the tariffs.

He also noted that, although the vote will almost certainly not trigger a complete cessation in EU-China trade links, it could represent a significant “milestone” in the history of Brussels and Beijing’s political relationship.

“There's a lot more to China-EU ties than vehicles,” he said.

“[But] I also think it probably signals part of a long-term deterioration in the political relationship between the EU and China, which is not only driven by the overcapacity problem in China, but also by China's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.”

“So it will be seen, I think, as a milestone in that larger trajectory.”