EU automakers at odds with tariffs on Chinese EVs

The European Union should encourage Chinese automakers to open more plants in the bloc as part of a deal to drop punitive tariffs on imported Chinese electric vehicles, the boss of Mercedes-Benz has said in a recent interview with the Financial Times.

Ola Källenius, who is also president of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, said China had asked European automakers to invest domestically to access its market decades ago, and the EU could adopt that approach as part of a solution to the trade dispute.

"Nobody disagrees about the fact that a level playing field is a legitimate discussion. The question is, what tool do you use?" Källenius told the FT.