The European Commission announced today that it had "provisionally concluded that the battery electric vehicles (BEV) value chain in China benefits from unfair subsidisation, which is causing a threat of economic injury to EU BEV producers," and made a preliminary determination on duty rates of up to 38%

Two members of a key House Committee dealing with China issues were recently asked about the threat of Chinese auto imports, and responded by reiterating the calls for action they made last year.

An NGO that focuses on Hong Kong issues has put out a paper that raises concerns about the operations and investments of Huawei and Build Your Dreams (BYD) in the EU, and recommends a number of actions to restrict these companies.

Chinese electric car giant BYD is investing US$290 million to build a lithium cathode factory in Chile, after securing raw materials at a discount from local suppliers.

Recent months have seen announcements from Chinese battery and electric vehicle company BYD Co Ltd about new investments in both Brazil and Thailand.

Under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed into law this year, tax credits are available for purchases of electric vehicles, but they are subject to various conditions related to the place of assembly of the product and the national origin of its components. Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD

Chile has long been considered a relatively free market-oriented bastion in South America, with more openness to foreign investment and trade than most countries on the continent. In recent years, though, there have been rising protests from the left against existing economic policies, with concerns raised about inequality and unfairness.