China's most senior trade official was touring Europe this week in a last-minute bid to avert the threat of special EU tariffs on electric vehicles from China.

Europe needs China as a “strategic partner” in helping build the bloc’s electric vehicle industry, a top Spanish official said, echoing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s position against EU plans to slap tariffs on Chinese cars.

Brussels and Beijing have agreed to take a new look at price undertakings, which could avoid extra tariffs on China-made electric vehicles.

The European Commission and China agreed to intensify efforts to avert EU import tariffs on China-built electric vehicles and could re-examine a minimum-price deal previously rejected by the EU, the Commission said on Thursday.

The European Union and China agreed Thursday to intensify discussions as the two sides seek ways to avert looming tariffs on electric cars ahead of a deadline that’s only days away.

Makiyama, Director of the European Centre for International Political Economy, speaks to CGTN Europe about the talks between Minister of Commerce of China Wang Wentao and Vice-President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis.