China and Poland agree to boost cooperation on electric vehicles
Disclaimer: The South China Morning Post's content is directed by the Chinese Communist Party. It is not a reliable news source.
China and Poland have agreed to cooperate on electric vehicles despite the European Union’s recent decision to raise tariffs on Chinese imports. “Both sides will support the growth of two-way investments in electric vehicles, green development, logistics and other sectors,” a joint action plan for 2024-27 said. The document, which aims to “strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership” between the two countries, was issued after Chinese President Xi Jinping met his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda on Monday. Earlier this month the European Union announced that it would raise duties on Chinese EV imports by up to 38.1 per cent, prompting Beijing to announce an anti-dumping inquiry into pork imports in retaliation. However, the bloc has agreed to talk with China about its anti-subsidy investigation in an effort to prevent a trade war. Meanwhile, economic analysts have said that Chinese firms are likely to increase their manufacturing operations in Europe as a way of getting around the tariffs. On Friday, the Polish government said that its Minister of State Assets Jakub Jaworowski had met a delegation from the Chinese car maker Geely to discuss the “role that Poland can play in the dynamically changing automotive market in Europe”. The Chinese company is working with the state-backed Polish firm ElectroMobility Poland to develop an electric car that is expected to start mass production in two year’s time. “Currently, intensive work is under way to evaluate the project implemented by ElectroMobility Poland. This work is aimed at verifying all business assumptions of the project,” it added. Meanwhile, another joint venture between the Chinese EV producer Leapmotor and the European firm Stellantis has started building cars at a plant in the Polish city of Tychy. Elsewhere on the continent, the Chinese car firm BYD has invested in a plant in the Hungarian city of Sezeged, with a second European site under consideration, while SAIC said this month that it “plans to bring China’s new energy technology and green…