The German renewable energy firm Enpal and metal processing group Schoder are among the companies joining Economy Minister Robert Habeck on his trip to China later this week. This indicates that the delegation will be low-profile, as tensions between Brussels and Beijing over electric vehicle (EV) tariffs continue to escalate. Unlike Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s trip to China in April, no German carmaker will accompany Habeck on the four-day journey to South Korea and China.
Both Enpal and Schoder have confirmed that company representatives will participate in the trip, according to a Handelsblatt report. Automotive supplier Voss and laboratory gear maker Sartorius are also among the companies traveling with Habeck, making Sartorius the only German blue-chip company joining the delegation. Voss did not respond to a request for comment, while Sartorius had no immediate comment.
Habeck’s trip comes a week after the European Commission proposed tariffs on electric vehicle imports from China, marking a new low point in economic relations and raising fears of economic retaliation. Potential counter-tariffs would be particularly painful for Germany’s carmakers – Volkswagen, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW – which heavily rely on China, the world’s biggest auto market. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, BASF, Bayer, and Merck were among the large-cap firms that traveled with Scholz during his trip to Beijing earlier this year.
