14/09/2023 (Agence Europe) – The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has reacted to the announcement by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, of the decision to launch an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles (see EUROPE 13249/1). China said in a press release on Thursday 14 September that the EU’s aim was to protect its own industry “in the name of fair competition”. She also warned that this investigation would have “a negative impact on economic and trade relations between the EU and China”. The Chinese ambassador to the EU, Fu Cong, backed up his comments on the social network X (formerly Twitter). The European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, is due to visit China on 25 September to discuss economic and trade relations between the two parties. (LM)