EU climate chief says 'no official decision' on China wind subsidies probe

EU climate chief says 'no official decision' on China wind subsidies probe

European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said 'no official decision' had been taken on whether to investigate China's subsidies for its wind power industry
European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said 'no official decision' had been taken on whether to investigate China's subsidies for its wind power industry. Photo: Pedro PARDO / AFP
Source: AFP

The European Union's climate chief said Thursday that "no official decision" had been taken on whether to investigate China's subsidies for its wind power industry, following talks with her counterparts in Beijing.

The EU this month launched an enquiry into China's suspected unfair use of subsidies to support the country's electric-car manufacturers -- a move that has been strongly criticised by Beijing.

The bloc is reportedly also considering a similar but separate probe into Chinese producers of wind turbine components, following complaints that state subsidies allow them to offer cheap imports which undercut European competitors.

But European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson told a press briefing on Thursday that she had informed Chinese officials "there is no official decision that we should open any investigation in the wind sector right now".

"From the EU perspective, we will keep our market open. We do believe that just and fair competition will benefit all our consumers and will bring us the most efficient solutions," Simson said.

Read also

IRS says Microsoft owes $29 bn in unpaid US taxes

"If there are cases of unfair competition or providing subsidies or dumping, then we will have to launch an investigation. But all the decisions will be made based on facts," she added.

Simson said she had held talks with Zhang Jianhua, chairman of China's National Energy Administration, as part of a three-day trip to Beijing that ends on Friday.

She is part of a flurry of visits to the country by EU officials, with the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell arriving in Shanghai on Thursday for an expected three-day trip.

Borrell is likely to discuss the EU's "de-risking" strategy with China -- its largest trade partner -- and prepare the ground for a planned summit this year.

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.