China commerce minister kickstarts Europe trip with Chinese EV firms meeting

China’s commerce minister kicked off a trip to Europe by meeting top Chinese automakers BYD and CATL, as he prepares to discuss an ongoing probe by the bloc into whether China’s EV industry has benefited from unfair subsidies.
Wang Wentao held a roundtable meeting in Paris on Sunday with representatives from more than 10 enterprises that also include Geely, according to a statement published by the commerce ministry on Monday.
During the meeting, he reiterated Beijing’s stance that Chinese EV firms do not rely on subsidies to gain a competitive advantage and said accusations by the U.S. and Europe of “overcapacity” were groundless.
“China’s electric vehicle companies rely on continuous technological innovation, perfect production and supply chain system and full market competition for rapid development, not relying on subsidies to gain competitive advantage,” Wang said.