China may increase duties on car imports

The Chinese authorities are preparing to increase duties on car imports amid escalating trade contradictions with Western countries.  

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the European Union received information from insiders about Beijing's intention to raise duties on the import of cars with large engines.

«Such measures will have a significant impact on European and American automakers, especially in light of Washington's recent increase in duties on Chinese electric vehicles and Brussels' preparations to introduce measures as part of an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles from China», – the chamber said.

Earlier, Liu Bin, chief expert of the China Automotive Technology & Research Center and deputy director of the China Automotive Strategy and Policy Research Center, who is involved in the development of China's automotive policy, noted that in the short term, duties on imports of sedans and SUVs with engines of more than 2.5 liters may be temporarily increased in order to reduce imports.

According to WTO rules, the duty can be increased up to 25%. In 2023, China imported about 250 thousand cars with engines of more than 2.5 liters, which accounted for 32% of all car imports.