German minister objects! "The EU is throwing out the baby with the bath water"
According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur on June 12, after the European Commission expressed its intention to impose punitive tariffs on imported Chinese electric vehicles, German government ministers called for negotiations with China on the 12th and warned of the possibility of an escalation of trade conflicts.
“It is crucial to negotiate now,” German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in Berlin on the 12th. “Tariffs are always the last resort and usually the worst way to proceed.”
Habeck pointed out that Germany is a trade and export-oriented country that needs an open market and a fair environment.
“It would be really bad if tariffs were used as a protectionist tool, if we got into a tariff race,” he said. “That would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”
German Minister of Digitalization and Transport Volker Wiesing also warned of the possible consequences of punitive tariffs.
"The European Commission's punitive tariffs will hit German companies and their top products," Wising wrote on the social platform X. "The way to make cars cheaper should be more competition, open markets and significantly improved production conditions in the EU, not through trade wars and market blockades."
German Automobile Industry Association: EU's tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles will do more harm than good
According to a report on the Wall Street Journal website on June 13, the EU's plan to impose temporary tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles has sparked concerns in the German auto industry, fearing that the move could escalate global trade tensions and harm corporate interests.
Germany's automotive industry association said retaliation was a concern, noting that tariffs would undermine free trade and fan the flames of a trade war.
“The potential damage that could be caused by measures announced now could outweigh the potential benefits to the European automotive industry, and in particular to the German industry,” said Hildegard Mueller, the association’s president.
German automakers Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have large operations in China, the report said.
Despite facing stiff competition from local Chinese automakers, Volkswagen sees no need for tariffs.
The company noted that in the long run, additional tariffs would undermine competition and weaken demand for electric vehicles in Europe.
At the same time, Mercedes-Benz warned against a general trend towards protectionism and expressed support for free trade on a level playing field.
“Fair and, above all, free global trade is very important. It drives innovation and growth,” said Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of management of Mercedes-Benz AG. “As an exporting country, we do not need rising trade barriers.”
The report said that the German Association of the Automotive Industry called on China and Europe to engage in constructive solutions.
Norwegian Finance Minister: Will not follow EU in imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles
According to a report on the Russian Satellite News Agency website on June 12, Norwegian Finance Minister Trygve Slogsvöll Werdum said that Norway will not join the European Union in imposing tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China.
"Imposing tariffs on Chinese cars is an inappropriate and undesirable move for the Norwegian government," he said.
The European Commission previously stated that it plans to impose temporary anti-subsidy duties on electric vehicles imported from China from July 4.
