Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Amid the celebration of its 40th anniversary in China, Volkswagen Group has reiterated its strong support for free and open markets as tensions increase on new tariffs from both the US government and the European Commission.
At an event held in the Liaoning province, the board member for China, Ralf Brandstaetter, said the VW success is also due to the liberalization of the Chinese market.
“This milestone is not least due to the opening of the Chinese market,” said Brandstaetter, who also serves as chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group China.
“Over 40 years, we have clearly demonstrated: Free and fair trade and competition create prosperity, employment, and sustainable growth for all. And we will never stop,” he added adding later that “an open and constructive dialogue is more important today than ever.”
As the European Commission prepares to apply additional tariffs on electric vehicles exported from China starting next week, legacy automakers have been pressuring to ease the measures to avoid potential retaliation that could sharply impact their operations in the country.
Reaffirming Volkswagen’s commitment to China, Brandstaetter emphasized the company’s ‘in China, for China’ pledge, aimed at deepening localization efforts and fostering innovation, as reported by local media China Daily.
“Our commitment to strengthening local partnerships is unwavering, as we strive for mutual progress and collective success,” he said.
Earlier today, Bloomberg reported that the European Union is preparing to revise its proposed tariffs on China-made EVs as affected companies shared more information in the last weeks.
In response to the tariffs announced earlier this month, China has threatened retaliation and has already initiated a targeted anti-dumping probe on pork imports. Additionally, Beijing has warned it could impose tariffs on agricultural goods, aviation, and internal combustion engine (ICE) cars with large engines.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
