Big taxes will be imposed on imports of electric vehicles from China to the EU after the majority of member states backed the plans. The move to introduce tariffs aims to protect the European car industry from being undermined by what EU politicians believe are unfair Chinese-state subsidies on its own cars.

The E.U. first announced that it would slap higher tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports in June, on the grounds that they benefit “heavily from unfair subsidies” and po