Elon Musk Voices Opposition to U.S. Tariffs on Chinese EVs at Paris Tech Conference

Tesla founder Elon Musk stated his opposition to U.S. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles at the Viva Technology conference in Paris. Musk argued such measures distort the market, advocating for no tariffs. The Biden administration has maintained and increased tariffs on Chinese imports to bolster American manufacturing.


Reuters | Updated: 23-05-2024 23:38 IST | Created: 23-05-2024 23:38 IST
Elon Musk Voices Opposition to U.S. Tariffs on Chinese EVs at Paris Tech Conference

Tesla founder Elon Musk told tech investors in Paris on Thursday that he was against U.S. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), saying he did not favour measures that distorted the market. Earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden rolled out new tariffs on an array of Chinese imports, including EVs, in an attempt to bolster American manufacturing.

The Biden administration has maintained a number of tariffs introduced by former President Donald Trump, while ratcheting up others, including a quadrupling of EV duties to more than 100%. The White House said the new measures affect $18 billion in imported Chinese goods. "Neither Tesla nor I asked for these tariffs, in fact I was surprised when they were announced. Things that inhibit freedom of exchange or distort the market are not good," Musk said at the Viva Technology conference in Paris via video link.

"Tesla competes quite well in the market in China with no tariffs and no deferential support. I'm in favor of no tariffs," Musk said. Leading tech executives and political figures such as ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt and former U.S. climate envoy John Kerry took to the stage this year at the annual VivaTech conference.

Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of Musk-owned social media platform X, is expected to participate in-person on Friday for a panel discussion on the future of content.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Give Feedback