The European Union threatens to hike tariffs on Chinese electric car imports, escalating trade spat

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has threatened to hike tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, escalating a trade dispute over Beijing’s subsidies for the exports that Brussels worries is hurting domestic automakers. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said it would impose provisional tariffs that would result in Chinese automakers facing additional duties of as much as 38%, up from the current level of 10%. The Commission said it has reached out to Chinese authorities to discuss the findings of its investigation into the subsidies and “explore possible ways to resolve the issues.”  Should the discussions not lead to an “effective solution,” the new rates would take effect on a provisional basis by July 4.