The subsidies pumped by the Chinese government into battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are so distortive that extra tariffs are needed to counteract them. This is the preliminary conclusion of the European Commission’s trade investigation, announced on Wednesday after weeks of mounting speculation. Diplomats and lobbyists had eagerly waited to see how far the executive would go to confront Beijing, a task that, despite its pressing nature, remains divisive among member states. The muscle-flexing took many by surprise. The Commission has proposed a robust range of tariffs to even things out: 17.4…