China's commerce minister and the European Union's trade commissioner have agreed to hold consultations on EU tariffs on imported Chinese-made electric vehicles, the commerce ministry said on Saturday.
The ministry added on its website that Commerce Minister Wang Wentao was invited to hold a video conference meeting with the European Union representative, Valdis Dombrovskis.
For his part, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said during his visit to China that the European Union welcomes discussions on customs duties on Chinese exports.
Habeck's visit is the first by a senior European official since the bloc proposed imposing heavy duties on imports of Chinese-made electric cars to combat what the bloc sees as excessive government subsidies.
Habeck said in Shanghai that there was until November for dialogue between the EU and China on issues related to tariffs, and that he believed in open markets, but those markets required a level playing field.
