European investigation could lead to tariffs and comes as countries jockey for market share in the clean-energy transition.
欧盟正在对中国电动汽车制造商展开反补贴调查，为争夺全球清洁技术产业的领导地位开辟了一条新战线。
在中国东部江苏省的一个港口，比亚迪电动汽车等待装船。
BRUSSELS—The European Union is launching an antisubsidy investigation into China’s electric-vehicle makers, opening a new front in the battle for leadership of the global clean-technology industry.
欧盟正在对中国电动汽车制造商展开反补贴调查，为争夺全球清洁技术产业的领导地位开辟了一条新战线。
The probe, announced Wednesday, reflects growing concern in Europe about the impact of low-price products from China on the bloc’s domestic industries. It could result in tariffs if officials from the European Commission, the bloc’s executive body, conclude that Chinese EV manufacturers are receiving subsidies that are hurting Europe’s auto industry.
周三宣布的这项调查反映出欧盟日益关注来自中国的低价产品对该联盟内部产业的影响。如果该联盟的执行机构欧盟委员会的官员得出结论，认为中国的电动汽车制造商正在接受补贴，损害了欧洲的汽车工业，那么可能会导致对其加征关税。
“Global markets are now flooded with cheaper Chinese electric cars,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech on Wednesday. “Huge state subsidies” are keeping prices artificially low and distorting the European market, she said.
欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩(Ursula von der Leyen)在周三的一次演讲中说：“全球市场现在充斥着更便宜的中国电动汽车。”她说，“巨额国家补贴”人为地压低了价格，扭曲了欧洲市场。
The move comes as the EU puts growing emphasis on what it refers to as fair competition. The bloc has introduced new rules to expand its options for dealing with what it perceives as unfair trade practices, including measures aimed at pushing back against trade or investment-related coercion and tackling foreign subsidies that it considers to be distortive.
此举正值欧盟日益重视所谓的公平竞争之际。该联盟已经出台了新规则，以扩大其处理其所认为的不公平贸易行为的范围，包括旨在反击贸易或投资相关胁迫的措施，以及处理其认为具有扭曲性的外国补贴方面的措施。
However, divisions remain within the bloc over how forcefully the EU should respond to trade frictions with China, the bloc’s biggest trading partner. Some member states, including France, have placed a greater emphasis in recent months on the impact of U.S. subsidies to clean-technology companies under the Inflation Reduction Act.
然而，对于欧盟应以多大力度应对与其最大贸易伙伴中国的贸易摩擦，欧盟内部仍存在分歧。最近几个月，包括法国在内的一些成员国更加重视美国根据《通胀削减法案》(Inflation Reduction Act)对清洁技术公司的补贴所造成的影响。
The EU has also aligned itself more closely with the U.S. in recent years on its approach to China, with some officials voicing increasing concern about the risks the bloc faces from a geopolitical rival.
近年来，欧盟在对待中国的态度问题上也与美国更加一致，一些官员对欧盟面临的来自地缘政治竞争对手的风险表示出越来越多的担忧。
欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩说，中国国家补贴扭曲了欧洲市场。图片来源：STEFAN WERMUTH/BLOOMBERG NEWS
Europe’s top trade official, Valdis Dombrovskis, said Wednesday that he plans to travel to China next week to discuss trade and the economy. “We want to keep dialogue open; to de-risk, not decouple,” Dombrovskis said Wednesday on X, the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter.
欧洲最高贸易官员瓦尔迪斯·东布罗夫斯基斯(Valdis Dombrovskis)周三表示，他计划下周前往中国讨论贸易和经济问题。东布罗夫斯基斯周三在前身为Twitter的社交媒体平台X上说：“我们希望保持开放的对话；去风险，而不是脱钩。”
He said the EU was launching the antisubsidy investigation because the bloc is open to competition, but not to what he called “unfair practices.”
他说，欧盟之所以发起反补贴调查，是因为欧盟对竞争持开放态度，而不是对他所谓的“不公平做法”持开放态度。
Representatives from China’s mission to the EU didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
中国驻欧盟使团的代表暂未回应置评请求。
The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU said it opposed the decision to launch the antisubsidy investigation. The group said Chinese EV makers have an advantage because they are innovative and competitive, and not because of subsidies.
欧盟中国商会(China Chamber of Commerce to the EU)表示反对这一启动该反补贴调查的决定。该商会称，中国电动汽车制造商不断创新，在激烈的市场竞争中累积出了优势，这种优势不是凭借补贴形成的。
“We strongly encourage the EU to approach the progress of China’s electric vehicle industry with objectivity rather than resorting to unilateral economic and trade measures,” the group said.
该商会敦促欧盟客观看待中国电动汽车产业发展，而不是随意动用单边经贸工具。
Von der Leyen said in her speech that Europe hasn’t forgotten the impact of Chinese subsidies on the continent’s solar-power industry, which was an early leader in manufacturing but whose output is now dwarfed by Chinese producers.
冯德莱恩在讲话中表示，欧洲没有忘记中国补贴对欧洲太阳能产业的影响；在太阳能相关制造领域，欧洲生产商曾居于前列，但现在其产出在中国生产商面前相形见绌。
Antisubsidy investigations don’t necessarily result in the imposition of tariffs. After completing an initial probe, EU officials can decide to impose provisional tariffs, continue the investigation without tariffs or drop the matter altogether. Tariffs can also be imposed or extended once an investigation is finished.
反补贴调查并不一定会导致加征关税。完成初步调查后，欧盟官员可以决定加征临时关税，或决定在不加征关税的情况下继续调查，或决定抛开此事。一旦最终调查完成，也可能加征或延长关税。
The EU investigation will focus on battery electric vehicles, or BEV, from China.
欧盟这项调查将侧重来自中国的电池动力汽车(BEV)。
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said Chinese imports are already affecting European automakers’ domestic market share. The EU announcement on Wednesday is a sign that the bloc recognizes “the increasingly asymmetric situation our industry is faced with,” said Sigrid de Vries, the association’s director general.
欧洲汽车制造商协会(European Automobile Manufacturers' Association)表示，来自中国的进口汽车已经影响到欧洲车企在本地市场的份额。该协会总干事Sigrid de Vries说，欧盟周三的声明是个讯号，表明欧盟认识到“我们的行业正面临越来越不对称的局面”。
The German auto manufacturers’ association, the VDA, was skeptical about the potential impact of the EU’s investigation. The VDA said Europe and Germany need to do more to improve conditions for manufacturers at home.
德国汽车工业协会(VDA)则对欧盟这项调查的潜在影响持怀疑态度。VDA表示，欧洲和德国在改善本地制造商的环境方面需要做更多工作。
“It is clear that an antisubsidy investigation alone does not contribute to solving the existing challenges regarding Europe’s competitiveness,” a VDA spokesman said.
VDA的一名发言人说：“很明显，单靠反补贴调查无助于解决欧洲竞争力目前面临的各种挑战。”
Research analysts at Bernstein, a brokerage firm, warned that potential retaliation by China could hit some of Europe’s biggest manufacturers, especially Germany’s Volkswagen, which Bernstein said is most exposed to any retaliatory action by Beijing.
经纪行Bernstein的研究分析师警告说，中国的潜在报复措施可能会打击欧洲的大型汽车制造商，特别是德国的大众汽车(Volkswagen AG, VOW.XE)；Bernstein称，若中国政府实施任何报复行动，大众汽车受到的影响都将是最大的。
Imports from China accounted for 15% of BEV sales in Europe so far this year, according to Bernstein. SAIC, a VW partner in China and owner of the MG brand, accounted for 6% of BEV sales in Europe.
Bernstein的数据显示，今年迄今为止，来自中国的进口纯电动车占欧洲纯电动车总销量的15%。其中，上海汽车集团股份有限公司(SAIC Motor Corp., 600104.SH, 简称﹕上汽集团)占欧洲纯电动车销量的6%。该公司是大众汽车(Volkswagen)在中国的合作伙伴，旗下拥有名爵(MG)品牌。
But any action by the EU to target China could be complicated, because a large number of EVs imported from China are actually made by Western manufacturers, Bernstein said. Tesla Model 3 vehicles accounted for 4% of European sales of BEVs imported from China during the period, followed by Polestar, BMW, which makes the iX3 in China, and others.
但Bernstein表示，欧盟针对中国采取的任何行动都可能面临复杂局面，因为从中国进口的大量电动汽车实际上是西方车企生产的。例如，在上述期限内，特斯拉(Tesla, TSLA)的Model 3占欧洲从中国进口的纯电动车销量的4%，排在其后的是极星(Polestar)和宝马(BMW)等。宝马在中国生产iX3。
In a study of the impact of Chinese subsidies for domestic manufacturers on German companies published last year, Switzerland’s Prognos institute said China created an unfair advantage for its industries with subsidies such as direct financial aid, tax breaks, favorable loans and state funds. Prognos said this kind of aid distorted global competition when Chinese companies expanded abroad.
瑞士研究机构Prognos去年发布了一份关于中国对国内汽车制造商的补贴对德国企业影响的研报，称中国通过直接财政援助、税收减免、优惠贷款和政府拨款等补贴为该国产业创造了不公平的优势。Prognos称，当中国企业向海外扩张时，这种补贴就扭曲了全球竞争。
Chinese EV makers have managed to build competitive vehicles at lower cost and with a significantly lower price tag than their Western competitors in their home market. Now, analysts think China’s main EV makers, such as BYD, XPeng and NIO, could begin flooding European markets with models well below the cost of their European rivals.
在中国市场上，中国电动车企已经成功地制造出了比西方竞争对手成本更低且更具竞争力的汽车，在该市场上的售价明显低于这些西方汽车公司的电动车。分析人士认为，现在，比亚迪(BYD, 1211.HK, 002594.SZ)、小鹏汽车(XPeng Inc., 9868.HK, XPEV)和蔚来集团(NIO Inc., 9866.HK, NIO)等中国主要电动车企可能开始凭借远低于欧洲竞争对手成本的车型大举进军欧洲市场。
UBS recently published a report concluding that BYD would likely have a long-term cost advantage of around 25% over its Western rivals in their home markets. “We believe BYD and other leading Chinese OEMs [manufacturers] are set to conquer the world market with high-tech, low-cost EVs for the masses,” the report said.
瑞银(UBS)最近发布的一份报告得出结论，比亚迪在西方竞争对手的母国市场上可能拥有25%左右的长期成本优势。报告称：“我们相信，比亚迪和其他领先的中国原始设备制造商(OEM)将凭借面向大众的高科技、低成本电动汽车征服全球市场。”
Europe is an important market for EVs because of its size and a commitment the bloc made to effectively ban the sale of new gasoline- and diesel-powered cars from 2035.
欧洲是电动汽车的一个重要市场，因为它的规模，以及欧盟承诺从2035年起有效禁止销售新的汽油和柴油动力汽车。
Several Chinese EV makers are already exporting vehicles to Europe and some, such as BYD, XPeng and MG, have said they are looking for locations to set up manufacturing in Europe. Analysts say it remains to be seen whether the Chinese EV makers will be able to maintain their cost advantages once they begin manufacturing in Europe.
几家中国电动汽车制造商已经在向欧洲出口汽车，比亚迪、小鹏汽车和名爵等公司已表示，正在欧洲寻找建厂地点。分析人士表示，一旦这些中国电动汽车制造商开始在欧洲生产，其能否保持成本优势还有待观察。
European automakers—especially Germany’s Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz—and their suppliers have been active in China for decades. For years, VW was a leading manufacturer in China, with annual production last year of more than three million vehicles.
欧洲汽车制造商，尤其是德国的大众汽车、宝马和梅赛德斯-奔驰(Mercedes-Benz)及其供应商已经在中国活跃了几十年。多年来，大众汽车一直是中国市场领先的汽车制造商，去年的年产量超过300万辆。
But the Chinese government has driven an industrial policy for the past decade with the goal of leapfrogging conventional auto technology to give homegrown Chinese manufacturers an edge in the EV industry.
但中国政府在过去十年推动了一项产业政策，目标是跳过传统汽车技术，让中国本土制造商在电动汽车行业占据优势。
