He Yadong: Friends from the press, good afternoon. Welcome to the regular press conference of MOFCOM. I would like to make an announcement first.

China and the U.S. will hold the second vice-ministerial meeting of the Commercial Issues Working Group (CIWG).

As agreed by both sides, the Ministry of Commerce of China and the Department of Commerce of the U.S. plan to hold the second vice-ministerial meeting of the CIWG in Tianjin on September 7. Wang Shouwen, China International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce, will co-chair the meeting with U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce Marisa Lago. The two sides will exchange in-depth views on a wide range of issues, including respective economic and trade concerns, business demands and practical cooperation.

The floor is open.

The Cover: Recently, Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at the Palace of Independence in Belarus. Premier Li said China will steadily expand trade and effectively implement projects such as the China-Belarus Industrial Park. In addition, the two sides also signed an agreement on trade and investment in services. Could you brief us on the development of the bilateral trade and how to further tap the potential of bilateral trade and economic cooperation?

He Yadong: China and Belarus are each other’s all-weather comprehensive strategic partner. Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China and Belarus have centered on the Belt and Road Initiative and promoted the sound and steady development of the bilateral trade and economic cooperation. China is the second largest trading partner of Belarus. The China-Belarus Industrial Park and other projects are making steady progress. Mutually beneficial cooperation in machinery manufacturing, agricultural production, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, digital economy and other fields is moving forward in an orderly manner. Going forward, China stands ready to work with Belarus to strengthen policy coordination, improve trade structure, and take the signing of the agreement on trade and investment in services as an opportunity to further unlock the potential of service trade and investment cooperation, boost bilateral trade and economic cooperation, and continue to deepen the China-Belarus all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership. Thank you.

PHTV: The EU recently disclosed the definitive decision on its anti-subsidy investigation on electric vehicles. MOFCOM held a meeting to listen to the industry’s opinions and suggestions on raising tariffs on imported large-engine ICE cars. Is the Chinese government mulling raising such tariffs and when will the tariffs be implemented?

The EU’s anti-subsidy investigation into China’s electric vehicles is a typical act of protectionism, which is not conducive to the cooperation of the China-EU auto industry, the stability of the global auto production and supply chains, or the green transition of the EU and the global efforts to respond to climate change.

China stays committed to green and low-carbon development. Some experts have put forward specific proposals on raising tariffs on imported cars with large-displacement engines on the grounds that this is in line with WTO rules and beneficial to the green transition of the auto industry. On August 23, MOFCOM held a meeting to listen to the opinions and suggestions from the industry, experts and scholars. Representatives of relevant industry organizations, think tanks, research institutions and businesses attended the meeting.

Next, relevant departments will carefully consider the opinions and suggestions from the industry and experts according to the working procedures, and support the green and low-carbon transition and high-quality development of the auto industry. Thank you.

(All information published on this website is authentic in Chinese. English is provided for reference only.)