German economy minister welcomes EU action against Chinese electric cars

"This is about unfair competition, it's not about keeping efficient cheap cars out of the European market," Habeck said. The European Commission launched an investigation on Wednesday into whether to impose punitive tariffs to protect European Union automakers against Chinese electric vehicle (EV) imports it says are benefiting from excessive state subsidies.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck welcomed the European Union's actions against Chinese-made electric cars on Wednesday. "This is about unfair competition, it's not about keeping efficient cheap cars out of the European market," Habeck said.

The European Commission launched an investigation on Wednesday into whether to impose punitive tariffs to protect European Union automakers against Chinese electric vehicle (EV) imports it says are benefiting from excessive state subsidies. Habeck added that if the EU investigation proved that there are massive breaches of competition rules, "we must of course take action."