Europe and China agree to talk about EV tariffs, a ‘first step’ to avoid a potential trade war between two of the world’s largest economies

(Credit: Sebastian Gollnow—Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

Beijing and Brussels are taking the "first step" towards resolving a months-long trade dispute over Chinese electric cars with new talks, after the European Union imposed additional tariffs of up to 38.1% that go into effect July 4.

The EU and China will start talks over the EV tariffs, following a video conference meeting between China Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis on Saturday, according to a statement from the commerce ministry. The statement did not reveal any further details on when the discussions would start.