At this point, Germany is not mentioning free trade at all! German Finance Minister openly stated that orders should be given to German car manufacturers instead of China. On December 22nd, according to AFP, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner expressed his frustration, as the German railway group placed a large order with German manufacturer MAN, while also ordering 200 electric buses from Chinese manufacturer BYD. I am very upset about this. I hope to see a "healthy" local industrial patriotism.
Lindner said that so-called "healthy" local industrial patriotism means that, where conditions permit, orders should be given to German or European manufacturers. Obviously, after learning that German companies had purchased electric vehicles from China, this German finance minister was very unhappy. He claimed to have a "healthy" local industrial patriotism, and completely ignored free trade. We would like to ask, has Germany abandoned free trade?
The so-called "healthy" local industrial patriotism is certainly not healthy at all; it's just a way to create trade barriers. Our car manufacturers have won orders in Germany by relying on real skills, better technology, and more competitive products. The fundamental issue is that Germany wants to enhance its own competitiveness by using various unfair and underhanded methods to keep our companies out, which will make German consumers pay for Germany's protectionist policies. Such practices are unlikely to change Germany's difficulties.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852166687567113/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.