Beijing warned on Friday that escalating frictions with the European Union over electric vehicle imports could trigger a trade war, as Germany's economy minister arrived in the Chinese capital with the proposed tariffs high on his agenda.
Robert Habeck's three-day trip to China is the first by a senior European official since Brussels proposed hefty duties on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles to combat excessive subsidies. That has unleashed countermeasures by China and harsh criticism from Chinese leaders.
In an unexpected twist, Habeck - from the ecologist Greens Party that is a junior partner in Germany's fractious three-way coalition - issued a statement criticising Berlin's 11-month-old China strategy document as already out-of-date and not in synch with the evolving EU position on China.
This week alone, Chinese automakers urged Beijing to hike tariffs on imported European gasoline-powered cars and the government launched a dumping probe into EU pork imports in retaliation for the EU Commission's move.
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