According to an interview article by China Daily on April 29, 2024, Hildegard Müller, the president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), has stated that the European Union’s actions against Chinese electric vehicles, such as additional tariffs, will not resolve the challenges faced by the European automotive industry.
The VDA did not support the anti-subsidy investigation that the European Union started against Chinese electric vehicle companies in October of the previous year.
In an interview with the media at the 2024 Auto China event, President Müller stated that deliberate trade barriers will quickly have a negative impact and that what is needed is aggressive industrial strategies, including an active trade policy, China Daily reported.
This opinion is also shared among industry companies. Oliver Zipse, the chairman of BMW’s management board, and Ola Källenius of Mercedes-Benz have also expressed the same view.
According to VDA statistics, approximately 5,000 German companies operate in China, providing over 1.5 million jobs. Among these, the automotive sector has the highest investment in China. Furthermore, one of every six vehicles on Chinese roads is a model of a German brand.
China Daily reported that President Müller emphasized that while China and Germany are partners and competitors in the automotive industry, such competition makes the industry more dynamic and innovative.
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