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China bans its airlines from paying EU carbon tax

06 February 2012 12:13 (UTC +04:00)

Baku - APA-Economics. The Chinese government has barred the countryâ€™s airlines from complying with a European Union charge on carbon emissions, escalating a dispute that officials have warned could turn into a trade war, APA reports.

Chinese airlines had previously said they would not pay the EU carbon tax, but the formal prohibition by the State Council, or cabinet, puts Beijing in direct opposition to Brussels. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has notified all Chinese airlines that, without government approval, they cannot join the EU emissions trading scheme or charge customers extra because of it, Xinhua said.

The impact on Chinese airlines with routes to Europe was unclear. Although the EUâ€™s carbon scheme went into effect for airlines on January 1, Brussels has not started charging them yet. But all airlines using EU airports have been brought into the scheme. Those that do not comply face fines while persistent offenders could be banned from EU airports.

â€œChina hopes that Europe will directly address our concerns, in light of the overall situation of global climate change, the sustainable development of international aviation and Chinese-European relations,â€ the Chinese aviation authority said.

It also said the EU should adopt a â€œpractical and constructive attitudeâ€ to come up with a solution that would be acceptable to both sides.

It added what appeared to be a veiled threat: â€œChina will consider additional measures to protect the interests of our citizens and our companiesâ€.

The China Air Transport Association, an industry group, said last year that Beijing might sue the EU over its carbon plan. But the prospect of a legal battle dimmed after the European Court of Justice ruled against a challenge brought by US airlines, saying the carbon trading scheme did not infringe on the sovereignty of other nations.

Although the aviation industry only accounts for about 3 per cent of global carbon emissions, its share is growing quickly and the EU believes its carbon trading scheme is an important part of the fight against climate change.

Chinese state media have called it a â€œtrade barrier in the name of environmental protectionâ€ and the foreign ministry has upbraided the EU for its â€œunilateralâ€ imposition of the carbon scheme.

When German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Beijing last week, Premier Wen said China might contribute more to rescue funds that are aimed at resolving the European debt crisis.

Premier Wen is scheduled to meet JosÃ© Manuel Barroso, European Commission president, and other European leaders at a bilateral business summit next week in Beijing.