Scholz insists on a level playing field for car manufacturers in China

The first two days of Scholz’s trip to China are focused on the economy. In Shanghai, the Chancellor called for a level playing field for car manufacturers. At the same time, he spoke out in favor of open car markets in Europe.

During his visit to China, Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke out in favor of open car markets in Europe, including Chinese vehicles, but called for equal competition. “The one thing that must always be clear is that competition must be fair,” he said in Shanghai during a discussion with students at Tongji University. “So that there is no dumping, that there is no overproduction, that no copyright is being violated.”

It is also very important that companies are allowed to set up production facilities and that this is not made more difficult by bureaucratic hurdles. That’s why he always pushes for a level playing field in China, i.e. a so-called level playing field. “Of course we want our companies to have no restrictions. But conversely, we behave exactly as we intend to here,” he said, referring to German resistance to protectionist tendencies in Europe.

Scholz advised against being afraid of competition. When Japanese and Korean cars came onto the German market, it was said that they would conquer the entire market. “Nonsense! There are now Japanese cars in Germany and German cars in Japan,” he said. “And the same applies to China and Germany.”

Stronger Scientific exchange

The Chancellor also stated that he hoped for greater scientific exchange with China. During the Corona period, contacts had decreased significantly, which was not good, he said. “But now things are different again. So I hope that the conversations will increase again, as will the mutual visits.”

He referred to the Chinese students in Germany. It is good that the number of German students in China is increasing again. In recent years, research collaboration with China has been critically discussed due to geopolitical tensions and security reasons. Scholz said he wanted to talk to the leadership in Beijing on Tuesday about international issues such as climate change, security and stability as well as the growing together of the world.

While the first two days of the Chancellor’s trip to China are mainly devoted to the economy, the third day in Beijing will focus on political issues. In addition to a meeting with state and party leader Xi Jinping, a conversation with Prime Minister Li Qiang is also planned. The Chinese side usually refrains from making statements before such meetings.