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2023.09.29 17:20 GMT+8

Reality Check: Why did the EU penalize China's EV initiative?

Updated 2023.09.29 17:20 GMT+8
Reality Check

EU launched an anti-subsidy investigation into whether to impose punitive tariffs against cheaper Chinese EVs. John Quelch from the University of Miami points out the hypocrisy: penalizing China's EV initiative while claiming to back auto emissions reduction.

John Quelch: There is considerable concern among the top U.S. producers, as well as the United Auto Workers Union, which is currently on strike in the U.S., concern about the transition to EV manufacturer and the risk to traditional auto jobs in the U.S. of that transition.

That having been said, I think it's worth noting that 50 years ago, exactly the same scenario played out when Honda and Toyota and other Japanese auto manufacturers achieved high quality, low price production, and exported to Europe and the rest of the world, and were blocked one way or the other by such anti-dumping complaints or tariffs or quotas from delivering to global consumers, the quality price product that global consumers could benefit from.

So, I think it's a little bit odd, frankly, that having taken a significant initiative in this area of EV production, that China is now being penalized by the very countries that have been championing their virtue with respect to embracing our carbon emissions reduction in automobiles. So, it's a little bit odd as well as unfortunate, and perhaps even hypocritical.

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