Over the past five years, Europe's battery imports from China have increased sevenfold, while its domestic production capacity remains below one-quarter.

Korean Media: Over the past five years, Europe's battery imports from China have surged 7-fold!

On August 15, South Korea's daily newspaper JoongAng Ilbo published an article stating that despite the EU imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), its actual reliance on batteries—a critical component—has increased. In the past five years, imports of Chinese batteries have skyrocketed by more than seven times, while domestic battery production by European companies accounts for less than 25% of total output.

A report released by the European Transport and Environment Federation shows that the EU’s import value of lithium-ion batteries from China rose from approximately $4 billion in 2020 to around $30 billion in 2025—an increase of over seven times.

Although the EU has imposed tariffs on pure electric vehicles produced in China, it has not taken separate measures targeting the batteries installed in these vehicles. This mechanism means that even if overall vehicle imports decline, dependence on Chinese batteries as core components continues to grow.

After the imposition of tariffs on Chinese-made pure electric vehicles, Western automakers such as Tesla, BMW, and Volvo have expanded their local production capacities in Europe. However, even if vehicle manufacturing shifts to Europe, the actual dependency on China remains significant if vehicles continue to use Chinese-made batteries.

The foundation of Europe’s battery industry has also been found to be extremely weak. Domestic manufacturers in Europe account for less than 25% of the EU’s total battery production. The European Transport and Environment Federation assesses that the future survival prospects of European battery firms remain highly uncertain.

Original Article: toutiao.com/article/1873558130204681/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.