RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday he hopes Germany can help Europe and China resolve the issue of tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles as soon as possible, state television CCTV reported.
In a meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Xi said China is ready to work with Germany to consolidate an overall strategic partnership, before bringing up European Union tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, a major contentious issue in the EU-China relationship that has raised the prospects of a trade war between Beijing and the bloc.
“It is hoped that Europe and China will resolve the issue of electric vehicles through dialogue and negotiation as soon as possible, and the German side is willing to make active efforts in this regard,” Xi said, according to a readout from Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Xi is on a South America tour that began with his participation at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, where he inaugurated a Chinese-funded Pacific port.
After the conclusion of the G20 summit on Tuesday he will embark on a state visit to Brasilia, where he is expected to meet with Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and sign several cooperation agreements.
(Reporting by Eduardo Baptista and Andreas Rinke in Rio de Janeiro; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Paul Simao)
