The European Union on Thursday slapped extra provisional duties of up to 38 percent on Chinese electric car imports because of Beijing's "unfair" support, a move that risks escalating tensions with Beijing.
歐盟星期四對中國進口電動汽車加徵高達 38%的臨時關稅，因為北京提供的「不公平」支持，這一舉措可能加劇與北京的緊張關係。
A European Commission probe launched last year concluded that state subsidies for Chinese EV manufacturers were unfairly undercutting European rivals -- which Brussels wants to shield as they make the transition from thermal to electric power, AFP reported.
歐洲委員會去年啟動的調查結束後得出結論，認為對中國電動汽車製造商的國家補貼不公平地削弱了歐洲競爭對手，布魯塞爾希望保護這些競爭對手在從熱能轉向電動動力的過渡過程中。
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the EU slammed the tariffs, coming on top of current import duties of 10 percent, as "politically-motivated" and "protectionist", while voicing hope the dispute could yet be resolved through dialogue.
中國駐歐盟商會譴責這些關稅，這些關稅是在目前 10%的進口關稅之上加徵的，稱其為「政治動機」和「保護主義」，同時表達希望透過對話解決爭端。
Europeans are split on the move, with Germany and its homegrown auto champions, who do significant trade with China, fearing it will do more harm than good if it leads to a clampdown on EU exports as Beijing has already threatened.
歐洲人對這一舉措意見分歧，德國及其本土汽車巨頭擔心這可能會對與中國的重要貿易造成更多壞處而非好處，因為北京已經威脅要對歐盟出口實施限制。
German auto giant Volkswagen slammed the move as "detrimental" while the head of BMW said the tariff battle "leads to a dead end".
德國汽車巨頭大眾汽車譴責這一舉措為“有害”，而寶馬的負責人表示關稅戰將“走向死路”。
France and Italy have pushed for tariffs on Chinese EVs -- whose EU market share has skyrocketed -- but Sweden like Germany has expressed reservations, while Hungary is outright opposed.
法國和意大利一直在推動對中國電動汽車徵收關稅，其歐盟市場份額已經飆升，但瑞典和德國一樣表示保留意見，而匈牙利則明確反對。
The provisional tariffs kick in from Friday, with definitive duties to take effect in November for a five-year period, pending a vote by the EU's 27 states.
臨時關稅將於星期五生效，確定性關稅將於 11 月生效，為期五年，待歐盟 27 個成員國投票通過。
"Our investigation... concluded that the battery electric vehicles produced in China benefit from unfair subsidisation, which is causing a threat of economic injury to the EU's own electric car makers," the EU's trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis said.
我們的調查...得出結論，中國生產的電池電動車受惠於不公平的補貼，這對歐盟自家的電動車製造商構成經濟損害威脅，歐盟貿易首席瓦爾迪斯·東布羅夫斯基斯表示。
In response, the commission imposed provisional duties on major Chinese manufacturers including 17.4 percent for market major BYD, 19.9 percent for Geely and 37.6 percent for SAIC.
作為回應，委員會對主要中國製造商實施了臨時關稅，包括市場主要的比亞迪 17.4％，吉利 19.9％和上汽 37.6％。
Other producers in China that cooperated with Brussels will face a tariff of 20.8 percent, while those that did not would be subject to the maximum 37.6 percent duty.
中國其他與布魯塞爾合作的生產商將面臨 20.8％的關稅，而未與之合作的生產商將被徵收最高 37.6％的關稅。
US tech billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla -- which manufactures in China -- is the only electric automaker to have asked Brussels for its own duty rate, to be calculated based on evidence it has submitted.
美國科技億萬富翁伊隆·馬斯克的特斯拉——在中國製造——是唯一一家向布魯塞爾提出自己的關稅率要求的電動汽車製造商，該關稅率將根據其提交的證據計算。
The Tesla Model 3 would be affected as well as the electric Mini, the Volvo EX40 and all other non-Chinese branded cars made in China.
特斯拉 Model 3 將受到影響，以及電動 Mini、沃爾沃 EX40 和所有其他在中國製造的非中國品牌汽車。
The move comes despite the opening of talks between Chinese and EU trade officials, and trade chief Dombrovskis said Brussels will continue "to engage intensively with China on a mutually acceptable solution".
儘管中歐貿易官員展開談判，貿易首席多姆布羅夫斯基斯表示布魯塞爾將繼續與中國「積極參與，尋求互相接受的解決方案」。
China's electric car maker Nio said it still hoped for a resolution with the EU, while fellow EV maker XPeng said it would "find ways to minimise the impact on consumers" without changing its international strategy.
中國電動車製造商蔚來表示，仍希望與歐盟達成解決方案，而同行的電動車製造商小鵬汽車表示，將「尋找方法減少對消費者的影響」，並不會改變其國際戰略。
EU officials have indicated that, should a negotiated solution emerge, they may not ultimately need to levy the tariffs.
歐盟官員表示，如果出現談判解決方案，他們最終可能不需要徵收關稅。
But Dombrovskis cautioned that "any negotiated outcome to our investigation must clearly and fully address EU concerns and be in respect of WTO rules."
但杜姆布羅夫斯警告說，“我們調查的任何談判結果必須明確且完全解決歐盟的擔憂，並且遵守 WTO 規則。”
Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, told AFP the move "would obviously have a negative impact on the development of China's EV industry, especially its development in the EU in the short term."
Beijing has already signalled its readiness to retaliate by launching an anti-dumping probe last month into pork imports, and Chinese media suggest further probes could be in the works.
The United States has already hiked customs duties on Chinese electric cars to 100 percent, while Canada is considering similar action.
But Brussels faces a delicate balancing act as it seeks to defend Europe's auto industry -- the jewel in its industrial crown -- while both avoiding a damaging showdown with China and meeting its targets for slashing carbon emissions.
The EU aims for Europeans to switch massively to electric vehicles as it plans to outlaw the sale of new fossil fuel-powered cars from 2035.
Chinese-made EVs' market share in the EU climbed from around three percent to more than 20 percent in the past three years, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.
Chinese brands account for around eight percent of that share, it said.
Germany's Kiel Institute for the World Economy, alongside Austrian institutes, predicted the provisional higher taxes would reduce vehicle imports from China by 42 percent.
Electric car prices could rise by an average of 0.3 to 0.9 percent in the EU, they added.
German auto manufacturers fear any retaliation could hurt their activities in China.
Duties were "generally not suitable for strengthening the competitiveness of the European automotive industry in the long term -- we reject them", Volkswagen said.
