BEIJING, July 5 China protests the EU's imposition of preliminary countervailing duties on the import of electric vehicles from Chinese manufacturers, and will take decisive measures to protect its legitimate interests , Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing on Friday.
The European Commission announced on Thursday that it would introduce temporary preliminary countervailing duties on imports of electric cars from China from July 4 due to government subsidies in their production.
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» (The Chinese side) expresses a strong protest. We have always believed that economic and trade issues should be properly resolved through dialogue and consultation. «China will take the necessary measures to resolutely protect its legitimate rights and interests,» said Mao Ning.
Preliminary duties mean suppliers provide bank guarantees at this stage, rather than actually paying duties. The actual collection of duties will begin if the European Union makes a final decision to introduce import duties, which could happen in the fall. Until this time, as stated in Brussels, it is still possible to reach an agreement with Beijing and resolve this problem. 
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