Wan Gang is widely regarded as a pioneer of China’s electric car strategy many years ago.
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HEFEI, China (AP) — The man leading China’s electric car strategy said Wednesday that Chinese investment in Europe’s electric vehicle industry could be a path forward for both sides amid trade tensions.
“I believe the governments [of China and the European Union] “They are currently considering how to combine investment with commodity trading through negotiations,” said Wan Gang, now president of the China Association for Science and Technology.
Wan spoke via an official English translation during a livestream of a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum’s “Summer Davos” meeting in Dalian, China. Spokespeople for the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the European Commission could not immediately be reached when contacted by CNBC.
China’s Commerce Ministry said over the weekend that it would begin consultations with the EU over the bloc’s investigation into the role of subsidies for Chinese electric cars. The EU announced earlier this month that it would increase tariffs on imports of these vehicles.
“Even if we don’t export many electric vehicles, perhaps Chinese companies can try to invest in Europe,” Wan said, noting that such financing could create local jobs.
Wan became China’s science and technology minister around 2007 and is known for spearheading the country’s early push toward electric cars.
He said that when China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, he had already worked in Germany for about 15 years, including at Audi – and had experienced several periods of volatile oil prices.
Wan added that 2001 was also the year in which the Chinese government set a goal of developing a “moderately prosperous society,” which would mean that every family would soon have their own car.
But fuel-powered vehicles would put pressure on Beijing to ensure stable gas supplies for consumers while increasing pollution, Wan estimated at the time.
He claimed that when China is developing its electric car strategy, it is not thinking about competing with anyone, but rather about its own survival.
The U.S. has also increased tariffs on Chinese electric car imports this year as criticism mounts that Beijing’s policies unduly favor domestic companies over foreign companies.
Wan said China asked him to return from Germany and start researching electric cars more than 20 years ago. He said Chinese cities faced extreme air pollution problems around 2010, providing incentive for local efforts to switch to electric vehicles, starting with buses and taxis.
This year, new energy vehicles – a category that includes battery- and hybrid-powered cars – have accounted for more than a third of new passenger cars sold in China, according to local passenger associations.
But Wan said electric car makers still need to do more to reduce drivers’ anxiety about range – such as allowing vehicles to automatically know when and where to charge – and ensure safety on the road through driver assistance technology.
He said the development of electric cars was an “irreversible trend” for the world and stressed that “we must be determined to continue despite all vicissitudes.”
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2024-06-26 14:02:10
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