Germany wants the EU to set tariffs on electric vehicles at a low level to avoid severe retaliation from Beijing.

Germany wants the EU to set tariffs on electric vehicles at a low level to avoid severe retaliation from Beijing.

Germany has launched an 11th-hour bid to avert a full-scale trade war between Europe and China, resisting French calls to hit Chinese electric vehicles with punitive duties.

With a decision by the European Commission imminent, both Paris and Berlin have ramped up their lobbying efforts — with conflicting messages on just how tough Ursula von der Leyen’s executive should get on Beijing.

The EU executive is expected to inform Chinese EV-makers on Wednesday of temporary duties resulting from its probe into unfair state subsidies. EU member countries would then vote this fall to confirm the duties — making it vital for von der Leyen to pitch them at a level that the bloc’s two heavyweights can live with.

  • maynarkh@feddit.nlEnglish
    264·
    5 months ago

    So Germany wants to go easy on the authoritarian government so that they can reach short term economic gains, which actually won’t trickle down to the common German, but will surely make someone very rich.

    And they promise it’s not going to be like it was with Hungary, or Russia, right?

    • doodledup@lemmy.worldEnglish
      72·
      5 months ago

      We are exporting more than we are importing. We are selling more cars there than anywhere else in the world. It would be really really stupid to start a trade war on cars…

    • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      42·
      5 months ago

      Germany has been on the appeasement track for well over a decade at this point.

      To be fair, they’ve become pretty gunshy and conflict-averse since that bad time with mustache guy, but the effects of that tendency are very frustrating at times.