Get ready for Trade War EU Edition this time
EU considers anti-subsidy probe into Chinese wind turbines
Brussels is considering whether to investigate China’s use of subsidies to promote the country’s wind turbine manufacturers, a leading official said on Friday, despite the angry reaction from Beijing over a similar probe into electric vehicles.
Didier Reynders, the acting competition commissioner, said cheap Chinese imports could threaten European businesses.
“In the wind energy sector there are components that could be in competition with Chinese components. If there is a possibility of too much aid on the Chinese side . . . we could open an investigation in the same way [as electric vehicles],” he told France’s BFM TV.
A senior EU official said “sufficient elements” warranted a similar investigation into wind turbine parts. But the official acknowledged Brussels was concerned about retaliation.
“They already thought something announced in the speech of the president was too high,” the official said. “They will digest [the electric vehicles] one and adapt. If we add another, they might be really angry.”