For Slovakia, the duties on Chinese cars are absurd

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called “absurd” the tariff approved by the European Union, of which Slovakia is a member, on the import of electric vehicles from China, where he is on an official visit.
Fico said “the European Commission presented an absurd proposal” which was rejected by several countries, including Slovakia, Germany and Spain, although the latter did not vote against but abstained.

The tariff, up to 35.5%, was supported by ten countries and rejected by five, while twelve abstained. Fico said opponents of the measure “are middle-class and luxury car manufacturers whose exports to China could fail,” according to a government statement.

During his visit to China a few days ago, Fico signed a strategic partnership agreement with China. The measure, which took effect on October 29, applies a tariff of 35.3% to Chinese automaker SAIC, 18.8% to Geely and 17% to BYD for up to five years. Brussels justified the tariff with the serious violations of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules that it accuses China of. China, for its part, has taken the European Union (EU) to the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement mechanism, arguing that the tariffs lack “objective basis.”