Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a visit to China, criticized U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, labeling them as examples of unfair competition. Putin’s remarks came as he sought to deepen the relationship between Russia and China, the two most powerful rivals of the United States.
Putin stated, “Unfortunately, the way the world works today, sometimes situations arise related to unfair competition. This is how the Americans recently imposed sanctions on China on electric transport, on electric cars,” adding, “Why? Because Chinese cars have got better.”
The comments from Putin follow Washington’s decision to increase tariffs on $18 billion worth of Chinese goods, including electric vehicles, batteries, semiconductors, steel, aluminum, critical minerals, solar cells, ship-to-shore cranes, and medical products. The U.S. also retained tariffs imposed during the Trump era on over $300 billion in goods from China.