Germany wants to prevent entry into force of the European Union's new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, or at least soften them, reports "Reuters" and "Bloomberg", quoted by News.bg.
Earlier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government warned that tariffs could damage global trade and discussed the possibility of the EU holding talks with Beijing on a "friendly" decision by the beginning of July.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck will visit China next week as part of efforts to reach a solution.
The European car industry has warned against the introduction of tariffs. German carmakers are most exposed to countermeasures, as according to trade data in 2023 nearly 1/3 of their sales will come from China.
"From our point of view, it would be highly desirable to reach an amicable solution. We don't need additional trade barriers, we need to facilitate global trade", Scholz's spokesman said at a briefing earlier this week.
"At the same time, however, trade must remain fair. In this regard, the European Commission and the Chinese side should discuss this with each other. Furthermore, we encourage everyone who needs to participate in these talks to do so," he added.
In a sign of further escalation of tensions, Chinese companies have already formally requested an anti-dumping investigation into EU pork imports.