The two sides have been seeking a deal on so-called price commitments, a complex mechanism to control the price and quantity of car exports that is meant to replace countervailing duties.

From November 2 to 7, the European and Chinese technical teams held five rounds of consultations in Beijing, and had in-depth exchanges on the specific content of the EU’s price commitment plan for the anti-subsidy case of electric vehicles in China. After the meeting, both sides said that “technical progress” had been made, especially on the price commitment framework and the implementation mechanism of the agreement. At the same time, the two sides also said that they will continue negotiations.

“The consensus on the price commitment framework refers to the agreement reached between China and the EU on the overall framework in this round of negotiations, which also shows that China and the EU are willing to focus their resources on the core interests of the negotiations and work towards a common goal,” the source said.

In talks with China on alternative tariffs for electric vehicles, the EU sees very limited progress and little prospect of a quick deal. But CCTV dismissed reports that “China has not made a satisfactory proposal to the EU, and the possibility of an alternative agreement between China and the EU on electric vehicle tariffs is small,” saying the reports were “intentionally misleading public opinion and interfering with the EU-China negotiation process.”

In late October, the European Commission, in an effort to protect its auto industry, imposed tariffs of up to 45.3 percent on electric vehicles imported from China. However, there is less unanimity among EU member states on the EU’s proposal to impose import duties on Chinese electric vehicles.