How Germany lost the battle to prevent tariffs on Chinese cars – POLITICO

Scholz’s government — driven by fears of Chinese retaliation — has warned repeatedly against imposing the tariffs, which the chancellor has described as “protectionist.” Earlier this month, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that “the German automotive industry in particular is very worried about this, because it is to be expected that the Chinese will then impose tariffs on German imports.”

As if on cue, the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU said in a statement on Tuesday that it had been “informed by insiders that…