reply “Don't be afraid of gifts!” German Media Speaks Out Against Protectionism, Says Tariffs Won

From the Chinese e-commerce platform of small goods to imported from China's electric cars, the European Union recently planned to adjust the duty-free limit of imported goods and may be about to make punitive tariffs decision is causing alarm for protectionism within Europe. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borelli recently pointed out that Europe will not follow the U.S. tariffs on China, a trade war must be avoided. A number of German media outlets have recently published opinion articles opposing the EU's protectionist trend and pointing out that existing problems cannot be solved through tariffs.“Protectionism against Temu is wrong”, the German ‘Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’ on the 3rd of the article pointed out that the EU is using protectionist tactics against China's cross-border e-commerce platforms Temu and Xiyin, but ‘taking out the protectionist stick’ can not solve the problem, but will make European consumers pay the price. Instead, it will make European consumers pay the price.According to the article, not everyone is happy that cheap Chinese e-commerce platforms Temu and Xiyin have conquered Germany with their parcels, and the German federal government now wants to support the European Union's plan to remove the 150-euro duty-free limit on imports from third countries. Usually the products sold on the American e-commerce platforms Amazon, Ebay or Etsy are the same as Temu and Hiyin, only more expensive. And since Temu and Hiyon send small batches of products directly to end customers in Europe, they are benefiting from this duty-free provision.According to the article, removing this duty-free limit would be a step towards increasing protectionism and would leave European consumers victimized, paying more for packages in the future. Transportation would become complicated, numerous small third-country companies would suffer, and Europe would become less attractive as a destination for goods, ultimately limiting European choices as well.In addition to the planned removal of duty-free imports under €150, the European Commission is expected to announce temporary tariffs on electric cars imported from China after the European Parliament elections. Earlier, some analysts believe that the announcement of the US to raise tariffs on electric cars from China to 100% may put more pressure on the EU side.“Do not be afraid of gifts!” Germany's Die Zeit weekly newspaper said in an opinion piece on March 3, Europeans should join the U.S. trade war with China? This is wrong. Because they can still learn a lot from China, and this can only be achieved through open economic exchanges. The article writes that European Commission President Von der Leyen has been increasingly harsh on China lately, with the EU alleging that China is currently supplying certain products to Europe under unfair conditions, “which are so cheap they are practically given away for nothing.”According to the article, most people have accepted the fact that cheap solar cells from China have made Germany's energy transition largely possible. It is well known that cheap products from China make an important contribution to controlling inflation. Cheap products from China are good for Western consumers, but bad for producers and employees there. How to weigh these benefits, punitive tariffs or even a trade war may be worthwhile, but there is also the option of free and open trade. The article also mentions that China is no longer just a place to buy or produce cheap goods and sell high-quality products to a few affluent people, but that new sectors of the economy have emerged there that hold important key technologies that Europe lacks or is already missing: for example, producing electric cars and other products for the mass market, helping to build major infrastructures in other countries, or getting trains to leave on time.The article bluntly argues that protectionism tends to benefit the least creative sectors of the economy, and shouldn't Europe do a better job of investing the huge sums of money it loses in trade wars in its own innovative strengths? The EU should make the regional economy more flexible, adaptable and faster: this includes a willingness to learn from China and other emerging economies. That way it won't have to be so afraid of these competitors, especially when they come here to unload their containers of gifts.