Visitors look at electric cars of Chinese car brand BYD at the IAA Mobility 2023 international motor show, Munich, Germany, September 6, 2023. /CFP
The U.S. and its allies seem to be winning with protectionist measures against China's electric vehicle (EV) industry, but in fact they are losing their own long-term potential by violating market rules, said a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday.
Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular press conference in response to the U.S. trying to limit EV imports from China and the EU's latest probe into whether to pose more tariffs against Chinese EVs.
China exported over 443,000 automobiles in January, a 47.4 percent increase from 2023, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
"The data displayed the high-quality development and sci-tech innovation of China's automobile industry, providing high quality and cost-effective products to consumers around the world," Mao told the media.
Mao Ning, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responds to a query at a regular press conference, Beijing, February 20, 2024. /CMG
"China also contributed to the global effort toward low-carbon transformation, as one out of every three vehicles exported by China is an EV," she added.
On the other hand, she said, the protectionist measures employed by "related countries" are "dragging down progress and prosperity of the world."
Mao reiterated China's long-term stance that related parties should unite rather than divide, cooperate rather than confront, and open up rather than lock down.