Chinese EVs top 15% Europe share

Chinese electric-vehicle makers pushed their share of Europe’s battery-electric car market above 15% in April, according to data cited by CGTN on May 23, a sign that European Union tariffs have not stopped their advance. In a separate trade measure, a North Dakota State University study published this month estimated that China’s retaliatory tariffs cut U.S. agricultural exports by $14.9 billion over 12 months. The two developments involve different sectors and different governments, but both point to the same basic outcome: tariffs changed prices and flows, while trade continued. The figures come as governments in Europe, Washington and Beijing keep using tariffs as a central industrial and trade tool. ### How far did Chinese EV brands get in Europe? Chinese EV makers’ share of Europe’s electric-car market rose past 15% in April for the first time, CGTN reported on May 23, citing market data. The report said demand for Chinese-made vehicles remained firm despite EU import duties aimed at curbing their gains. The European Union had already moved to impose extra tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in 2024, with rates reaching as high as 37.6% on some producers, according to earlier CGTN reporting on the bloc’s measures. (news.cgtn.com) Those duties raised the cost of shipping Chinese EVs into Europe, but they did not prevent sales growth from continuing into 2026. ### What do the farm numbers show? (news.cgtn.com) North Dakota State University’s May 2026 Agricultural Trade Monitor estimated that China’s retaliatory tariff layers reduced U.S. agricultural exports to China by $14.9 billion on an annualized basis from March 2025 through February 2026. The study said it used a structural gravity model to isolate tariff effects from other forces including commodity trends, seasonality and importer-exporter shocks. (news.cgtn.com) Soybeans accounted for about $6.8 billion of the estimated losses, the study said, followed by beef and cotton at about $1.3 billion each and tree nuts at about $964 million. The report said the 2025-26 episode exceeded the 2018-19 trade-war episode by roughly 43% in annualized dollar terms. ### Which U.S. states and products were hit hardest? Iowa, California and Illinois each faced about $1.2 billion in estimated exposure, according to the NDSU study summary cited by Farm Policy News. (ageconsearch.umn.edu) The report also listed Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana, South Dakota, Ohio, Arkansas and North Dakota among the most exposed states. DTN reported on May 22 that U.S. agricultural exports to China fell to $8.4 billion in 2025, the lowest level since 2007. DTN, citing the same NDSU work, said soybean exports fell 76%, beef exports declined 69% and cotton exports dropped 85%. ### Did tariffs explain all of the damage? Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist at StoneX, told Farm Policy News that tariffs were not the only factor limiting U.S. sales to China. (farmpolicynews.illinois.edu) He said U.S. soybeans arriving at Chinese ports were about $1 more expensive than Brazilian soybeans even before retaliatory duties were applied, leaving private crushers with little incentive to switch back. (dtnpf.com) That means the tariff effect measured by NDSU sat alongside a broader competitiveness problem in some products, especially soybeans. The NDSU paper itself said its model was designed to separate tariff effects from other market forces, an indication that the $14.9 billion estimate was not intended to describe every cause of weaker exports. ### What happens next in the U.S.-China trade dispute? The NDSU report said it concluded with discussion of a May 2026 U.S.-China framework that included renewed market-access commitments and announced purchase targets. (farmpolicynews.illinois.edu) DTN reported that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said China had agreed to buy $17 billion in agricultural commodities annually for three years on top of soybean commitments, while China also agreed to reauthorize more than 400 U.S. beef facilities and resume U.S. poultry imports. (ageconsearch.umn.edu)