Overview
- China formally requested consultations at the WTO on October 20 over Indian subsidies tied to electric vehicles and advanced-chemistry cell batteries.
- The complaint names three measures: the PLI National Programme on ACC Battery Storage, the PLI Scheme for Automobile and Auto Component Industry, and the Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Electric Passenger Cars in India.
- Beijing alleges the measures breach the SCM Agreement, GATT 1994 and TRIMs by favoring domestic inputs and functioning as prohibited import-substitution subsidies.
- India’s Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said the ministry will review China’s detailed submissions, with consultations marking the first step before any panel request.
- Coverage cites CPCA data showing Chinese makers exported about 2.01 million electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the first eight months of the year, up 51%, as India’s trade deficit with China reached roughly USD 99.2 billion in 2024–25 and the EU imposed a 27% tariff on Chinese EVs.