Europe Expected to Approve Higher Tariffs on Electric Cars From China

European countries are expected on Friday to approve an increase in tariffs to as much as 45 percent on electric cars imported from China, a move that officials said would help protect European carmakers from a glut of cheaper vehicles subsidized by Beijing.

The vote, by the 27 countries in the European Union, will impose additional tariffs ranging from 7.8 percent for Tesla cars made in China to 35.3 percent for vehicles made by the Chinese automaker SAIC, with duties for other automakers falling somewhere in between. Those rates will come on top of the European Union’s existing 10 percent tariffs on all imported cars.

Leaders in Brussels say the duties are aimed at creating a level playing field for automakers in Europe and their competitors in China, rather than to close the European Union market to Chinese imports.

But European countries are divided on the issue. France, Italy and Poland support the tariffs, while Germany remains opposed. Spain initially supported them but on a visit to China last month, the country’s prime minister urged Brussels to consider a compromise.

To block the tariffs, 15 countries whose populations amount to 65 percent of the European Union’s total inhabitants would need to vote against them.

Chinese leaders have spent recent weeks traveling through Europe’s capitals, meeting with leaders from member countries and representatives in Brussels to try to reach an agreement that would prevent the tariffs from taking effect. European leaders said that although they were legally required to vote on the tariffs, they remained open to continuing talks on the issue with China.