The BBC is reporting that 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.
Charges of up to 45 per cent are to be enforced on electric cars made in China for the next five years.
But there have been concerns such a move could raise electric vehicle prices for buyers.
The decision, which split EU member states such as France and Germany, risks sparking a trade war between Brussels and Beijing, which has condemned the tariffs as protectionist.
China has been counting on high-tech products to help revive its flagging economy and the EU is the largest overseas market for the country’s electric car industry.