Expert: Tariff hike 'stupid' move by US

Washington's decision to hike tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and automotive batteries is politically motivated and does not align with World Trade Organization rules or the realities of the US market, an industry expert in China's automotive battery sector said.

"It is stupid, stupid and stupid for the US government to exert tariff spikes on Chinese EVs and batteries. Such tariffs are ineffective and counterproductive to the US EV industry's development," Dong Yang, president of the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance, told China Daily in an exclusive interview.

Dong's comments came after the US Trade Representative's office said some of the steep tariff increases on an array of Chinese imports will take effect on Aug 1, including quadrupling import duties on Chinese electric vehicles to over 100 percent and an increase in the tariff rate on lithium-ion batteries used in EVs from 7.5 percent to 25 percent.