The European Union voted on Friday to impose tariffs as high as 45% on electric vehicles from China, threatening a broader trade conflict with Beijing which has already vowed to protect its companies.
Shares in European automakers rose after the vote.
The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, can now proceed with implementing the duties, which would last for five years.
Ten member states voted in favor of the measure, while Germany and four others voted against and 12 abstained, according to people familiar with the results.
The decision by the EU comes after an investigation found that China unfairly subsidized its industry. Beijing denies that claim and has threatened its own tariffs on European dairy, brandy, pork and automobile sectors.
The bloc is actively trying to reduce its dependencies on China, with former European Central Bank President
Mario Draghi
warning last month that “China’s state-sponsored competition” was a threat to the EU that could leave it vulnerable to coercion.
The EU, which did €739 billion ($815 billion) in trade with China last year, was split on whether to move forward with the duties.
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