Germany’s Scholz in China: We Want Fair Auto Market but No Dumping
15:53 JST, April 15, 2024
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday pressed his case for an open and fair European market for Chinese cars but warned against dumping, overproduction and intellectual property infringements as he spoke to a group of students in Shanghai.
Scholz, together with three ministers and several leading German executives, is on a visit to China that is being watched for signs as to how Europe will calibrate its response to what it blieves are Chinese goods being dumped on its market.
“At some point there will also be Chinese cars in Germany and Europe. The only thing that must always be clear is that competition must be fair,” Scholz told students at Tongji University in Shanghai.
“In other words, that there is no dumping, that there is no overproduction, that copyrights are not infringed,” Scholz said, adding it was important to allow companies to set up production facilities locally without bureaucratic hurdles.
“And that’s why whenever I’m in China and I say level playing field, of course we want our companies to have no restrictions,” he said.
Scholz also said small countries should not have to live in fear of big countries and that borders should not be changed by force, but did not mention China by name.
Scholz is due to meet President Xi Jinping on Tuesday and question him aboutChina’s support for Russia’s wartime economy, two years after Moscow unleashed its invasion of Ukraine.
The German government and German businesses are also wary of any potential future conflict over Taiwan.
“One of these principles is that we should not be afraid of our neighbors,” he told students, comparing global values and relations between countries to neighborly relations.
“We want that in our own lives. If our neighbor is a big, strong, muscular person, then we always want to say hello and be sure that he will never hurt us.”
"News Services" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Dollar Edges Lower, Yen at 34-year Trough
-
Japan’s Nikkei Climbs 1.5% as Investors Scoop Up Beaten-Down Stocks (Update 1)
-
Japan Visitors Exceed 3 Mln in March, a Monthly Record, Tourism Agency Says
-
EU Ratchets up Pressure on TikTok’s New Rewards App over Risks to Kids, Warns of Suspension
-
Japan’s Nikkei Ends 1% Higher after Sharp Fall; Chip-Related Shares Weigh (Update 1)
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Japan Household Spending Down 0.5% in Feb.
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’