China’s lead trade official is in Europe on a last-ditch mission to avert looming tariffs on electric cars ahead of a deadline that’s only days away.

China's commerce minister said on Wednesday that Beijing will continue to negotiate "until the last minute" on the European Union's electric vehicle probe, with the investigation undermining confidence of Chinese companies investing in Europe.

The vote would pave the way for the duties to kick in starting in November unless a qualified majority — 15 member states representing 65 percent of the EU's population — opposes the move.