EU’s Chinese EV Tariff Signals Policy Shift, Possibly Counterproductive: Experts

As the European Union (EU) pushes ahead with tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) to protect European production from international trade distortions, experts say Wednesday’s decision to slap extra import duties not only signifies a major policy shift but also could be somewhat unproductive. This move, unlike previous trade-defense measures that focused on smaller or less critical sectors, targets the automotive industry, which is crucial to both economies of the European Union and China. This marks a departure from the EU’s traditional approach of avoiding significant industries in its trade disputes. Moreover, introducing tariff barriers while the EU plans to scrap internal combustion engine (ICE) cars by 2035 could be counterproductive to this goal....