Brussels warns London: the UK should increase tariffs on Chinese cars and align more closely with the trade policy of theUe if it wants to avoid the "made in Europe" barriers that would affect key exports. This is revealed in an exclusive Financial Times. In short, according to the EU, the best solution would be for the United Kingdom to join the customs union, also because, a source explained to the British newspaper, "we fear that the Chinese could evade our duties by passing through the United Kingdom". The policy of The "made in Europe" policy aims to favor European manufacturers in subsidies and public procurement, in an attempt to face Chinese competition. But there are fears that Britain could become a back door for access. to the European market.
It is also true that the London government has not followed the EU's example in imposing duties on imports of electric vehicles Chinese when the Union introduced them in 2024, allowing Chinese manufacturers to capture a combined 16% share of the British new car market this year. Nissan's European head also raised the alarm about this new state of affairs, Massimiliano Messina, according to which the UK risks becoming a “corridor” to the EU for Chinese electric vehicles.
The prospect of having to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles presents a dilemma for the British government, which is trying to attract investment from China in British car plants, including an agreement with the carmaker Chery for the production of cars in the plant Nissan from Sunderland.
Moreover, he faces a similar dilemma in chemical sector, strained by low-cost Chinese imports that have triggered a wave of anti-dumping duties by Brussels. In a sign of growing tensions between London and Brussels over diverging approaches to trade with China, the EU announced this month that it will monitor titanium dioxide exports from the UK to Europe.
