German Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced hope on Monday (24 June) that EU and Chinese negotiators will reach a deal on electric vehicle (EV) tariffs before 4 July – the day European duties on Chinese carmakers are meant to come into effect.

The European Commission announced on 12 June the EU will impose additional tariffs of 17.4% to 38.1% on electric cars produced in China, prompting threats of retaliation from Bejing.

A Commission spokesperson confirmed to Euractiv that the EU executive’s Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao spoke on the phone on…