EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles are part of an ‘economic cold war,’ Hungary’s Orbán says

Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s prime minister says the European Union risks entering an “economic cold war” with China, and is pledging to vote against an EU plan to impose higher tariffs on the import of Chinese electric vehicles. EU countries are set to vote on Friday whether to finalize the tariffs, part of a broader trade dispute over Chinese government subsidies and Beijing’s burgeoning exports of green technology to the 27-nation bloc. The tariffs are expected to pass the vote. But Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday that his country will oppose them, and warned that Europe’s tendency toward economic protectionism would destroy the EU’s economy.