On the afternoon of September 21, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao held a video call with Ola Källenius, President of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) and Chairman of the Mercedes-Benz Group AG. The two sides exchanged views on China-EU economic and trade relations and cooperation in the automotive industry.

Wang Wentao said that China and the EU, two major economies in the world, should stick to cooperation and keep their markets mutually open. China stands ready to work with the EU under the China-EU Trade and Investment Consultations (TIC) to properly handle differences through dialogue, ensure stability in China-EU economic and trade relations, and inject certainty into global economic development. He expressed the hope that ACEA will play a positive role in encouraging the EU side to pull with China in the same direction and reach, at an early date, a solution that complies with WTO rules and the respective domestic laws of each side and accommodates the interests of Chinese and European industries.

Wang noted that China is the world’s largest automotive market, and the automotive sector is one of the key areas of China-Germany and China-EU economic and trade cooperation. The Chinese government is steadfast in advancing high-standard opening up, welcomes European automakers, including Mercedes-Benz, to expand investment in China, and supports them in deepening innovation cooperation with Chinese partners to jointly promote the green, intelligent and integrated development of the global automotive industry.

Ola Källenius said ACEA firmly supports free trade and market openness and welcomes Chinese automakers and auto-parts companies to invest in Europe. The association stands ready to play a bigger role, voice the industry’s views, and support EU-China dialogue and consultation to properly resolve economic and trade differences. Mercedes-Benz Group firmly believes that only by deepening its roots in the Chinese market can it stand firm globally, and it stands ready to further expand investment in China and pursue deeper cooperation with Chinese partners. (Released on September 22)