Germany's Klingbeil urges measures against China's hybrid car imports
Klingbeil calls for wider EU tariffs
WOLFSBURG, Germany, Sept. 17 (Reuters) - Germany's Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said on Thursday the European Union needs to widen tariffs against Chinese imports to include hybrid cars, saying Volkswagen and domestic peers were threatened by Chinese manufacturing subsidies.
"I am in favour of us standing up against unfair trade practices, and for Germany to adopt a different level of self-confidence and assertiveness towards countries that threaten our industry," said Klingbeil, who is also finance minister.
Speaking at Volkswagen's VOWG_p.DE headquarters in Wolfsburg, Klingbeil added that the agreed restructuring measures at the carmaker were just the beginning of an ongoing transformation.
He added the EU will have to tighten local-content rules and introduce tariffs against Chinese-made plug-in hybrid cars.
VW works council leaders met with Klingbeil amid a ramped-up restructuring at Volkswagen sealed by the supervisory board earlier this month despite opposition from the labour side and the state of Lower Saxony, the company's second-biggest shareholder.
Under pressure to slash manufacturing costs in Germany, labour representatives argue that cutbacks alone will not secure Volkswagen's future, calling on the EU to shield local industry from cheap Chinese cars flooding the market.
The European Commission is currently assessing its trade deficit with China, amid industry calls to expand tariffs on Chinese-made EVs to include plug-in hybrids and draw up 'Made in Europe' rules.
