Germany warns of industrial threat from China, calls for tougher tariffs

German politicians and industry representatives warned that China’s state‑backed industrial policies pose a serious risk to Germany’s manufacturing sector and democratic values. Union MP Johannes Volkmann and Green Party leader Anton Hofreiter urged the European Union to adopt stronger measures, including “atmende Zölle” – flexible tariffs that rise or fall with Chinese subsidies – to counter what they described as unfair competition and a systemic clash between autocracy and democracy. They cited studies suggesting that 50‑70 % of German industrial jobs could be endangered and argued that short‑term pain from higher prices is preferable to the long‑term cost of deindustrialisation.

At the same time, the Green economic association highlighted the EU’s need to de‑risk its industrial policy, emphasizing a shift toward electric vehicles and carbon‑capture technologies to maintain competitiveness without relying on Chinese supply chains. Martin Kaul warned that uncertainty from EU proposals could deter needed investments in clean‑energy transport and urged Europe to prioritize German and European models over Chinese ones.