China is calling on the European Union to refrain from weaponizing tariffs and eliminating market barriers for Chinese electric vehicle makers. It also welcomed the entry of European electric vehicles into the Chinese market, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

"EU automakers are fully capable of adapting to market competition and participating in the industry's evolution," said He Yadong, spokesman for the ministry, at a news conference.

His comments came after European automakers are set to launch low-priced, sub-20,000-euro small EVs.

He noted that technological innovation and comprehensive industry-wide collaboration have enabled EVs to be more affordable and accessible to consumers, which is the fundamental logic behind the industry's development.

"This is also the core reason why Chinese EVs have been widely embraced by consumers, and is the driving force behind global efforts, including the EU's, to address climate change," He said.

The EU, merely because of the high cost-effectiveness of Chinese electric vehicles, has labeled Chinese automakers with the "subsidies" tag without any factual basis and has abused countervailing measures under the pretext of "threat of damage", which is essentially setting up market barriers and interfering with free competition, He said.

China hopes that the European side will not weaponize tariffs and will eliminate market barriers, encourage fair competition, and embrace the prevailing trend of industry cooperation, He said.

China welcomes the entry of European EVs into the Chinese market and is more willing to promote China-EU cooperation in the EV sector, He added.