In the environment of huawei, the world’s second-largest telecoms outfitter, a formal investigation by the commission is expected before the summer break, reports the newspaper on thursday. Already about two weeks ago, the "financial times" had reported that the commission had collected sufficient evidence of price dumping against huawei and ZTE.
Huawei rejects accusation. "We neither receive illegal state subsidies nor engage in price dumping," the company stated in response to a question from the "handelsblatt" newspaper. However, an investigation by the commission is expected in the group’s environment before the summer break, the newspaper writes. At the political level, there is talk about how the problem can be solved.
"No one wants a trade war," the newspaper quotes daniel caspary, an expert from the cdu/csu parliamentary group. "But it’s about the eu drawing its red line. Otherwise the chinese won’t take us seriously anymore."An official investigation by the eu commission was the first of its kind to be driven by the commission itself, rather than by a company. Companies themselves fear disadvantages in china if they complain too loudly, according to the report.
Trade relations between china and europe are rumbling in several places. China, for example, is pursuing a restrictive export policy for important raw materials such as rare earths – rare metals that are indispensable for high-tech devices, among other things. China also puts obstacles in the way of european companies when it comes to public tenders and joint ventures. The EU, on the other hand, is trying to force chinese airlines into the european emissions trading scheme.
European network suppliers ericsson, alcatel-lucent and the nokia siemens networks (NSN) joint venture have been suffering for some time from competition from chinese suppliers. Huawei and ZTE massively penetrated the european market. Trade commissioner karel de gucht suspects chinese manufacturers of using illegal subsidies to sell products sometimes well below manufacturing costs, it said.