Cooperation is key to Chinese, EU auto industries: Chinese commerce minister

Cooperation is crucial for the development of the automotive industries in China and the European Union (EU), said Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday.

Wang made the remarks while chairing the China-EU Electric Vehicle (EV) Industrial Chain Enterprises Roundtable, which was attended by leaders from nearly 30 European and Chinese EV, power battery, and parts sectors, as well as related industry associations.

Over the past 40 years, Wang said, automotive cooperation between China and the EU has yielded fruitful results and become deeply integrated.

EU companies have flourished in China, driving the development of China's automotive industrial chain, and China has also provided an open market and a fair competitive environment for European companies.

As for the EU's anti-subsidy probe into Chinese EVs, Wang said that China will negotiate until the final moments.

Such a move by the EU, Wang noted, will not only hinder China-EU cooperation in the automotive industry and undermine Chinese companies' confidence in investing in Europe, but will also severely affect global cooperation in addressing climate change and significantly damage the multilateral trade order based on WTO rules.

As the automotive industries of China and the EU are now at a critical crossroads, openness and cooperation are the best options, Wang said.

China has developed through reform and opening up and will never stop its opening up, Wang said. He noted the Chinese government firmly supports China-EU business cooperation, opposes "decoupling and breaking chains," and is committed to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and EU companies operating in China.

Cooperation is key to Chinese, EU auto industries: Chinese commerce minister

A China Media Group (CMG) reporter helped evacuate Chinese nationals stranded at Dubai International Airport before it was damaged in an ''incident" early on Sunday morning.

The reporter, who went to the airport by car to investigate flight delays, met several stranded Chinese nationals at the airport who had been unable to leave on their scheduled flights as the Middle East conflict forced airlines to stall operations.

The Chinese passengers said after they arrived a little before 19:00, the check-in counter was closed, raising their concern that the airport might be taken over by the military.

"I was thinking of finding some chairs for the kids to sleep on before going back to ask what was going on. At first, the airport staff offered to help, but then some people who looked like soldiers came and told us to leave," said a Chinese passenger.

Footage from the reporter showed that the area outside the airport was almost deserted, with very few vehicles. Public transportation had been suspended early, and only police cars were parked on both sides of the road, with emergency staff signaling all civilian vehicles to leave immediately.

Dubai Airports confirmed that a concourse at Dubai International Airport later sustained minor damage in what it referred to as an “incident”. Emergency response teams were immediately deployed and were managing the situation in coordination with the relevant authorities. Aviation sources told Reuters news agency that one of the terminals had been damaged during an overnight Iranian attack.

The Dubai Media Office said that four staff members sustained injuries and received prompt medical attention.

CMG reporter helps evacuate Chinese nationals from Dubai airport