A self-inflicted hostage-taking situation?

June 14, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Automobiles, China, Dumping, Duties, Electric Vehicles, EU, EVs, Exports, Germany, Imports, Tariffs, Trade, Trade Wars Leave a comment

Why is it that big German automakers are worried about Chinese retaliation?

Because they voluntarily put themselves in the position to be retaliated against. Think Germany’s voluntary dependency on Russian gas recently. That didn’t work out very well either. But for whatever reason, this is what Germans do.

Germany launches 11th-hour bid to avert trade war with China – Germany wants the EU to set tariffs on electric vehicles at a low level to avoid severe retaliation from Beijing…

Germany’s position was “problematic,” he said: While big German automakers still entertain good ties with Beijing, that’s not necessarily the case for smaller businesses, meaning “the German economy as a whole has an interest in a more assertive policy towards China.”

Germans asked to stop being so naive

April 25, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: China, Dependency, Espionage, Exports, Germany, Imports, Military, Spies Leave a comment

Germans reply by saying “What do you mean?”

“Just because we’re uncritical, unquestioning and easily taken in doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re naive. It worked with Russia, didn’t it?”

German spy agency warns companies against being too “naive” on China – Germany’s domestic spy agency told companies on Wednesday they should be on guard against industrial espionage by Beijing, warning them not to be naive or over-reliant on China.

The warning from the agency’s deputy head Sinan Selen came days after three German nationals were arrested on suspicion of handing over technology with military applications – a case which has highlighted mounting anxiety across Western Europe about Chinese spying.

The urge to urge

April 16, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: China, Exports, Germany, Imports, Industry, Restrictions, Trade Leave a comment

Urged once again. Due to the urgency, I guess.

Well, I’m sure this urge will finally do the trick.

German chancellor urges Chinese industry bosses to play fair in EU market – Olaf Scholz says European cars should have equal access to Chinese customers.

“The only thing that always needs to be clear is that the competition is fair,” he said during a discussion with students at Tongji University in Shanghai. “That means there can be no dumping, no overproduction and that intellectual property rights are not violated,” he said.

More American Imperialism

February 21, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness Tags: Animals, Environment, Germany, Immigration, Imports, Nature, Racoons, Turtles Leave a comment

When will it ever end?

Turtles from America are spreading – North American freshwater turtles have arrived in Europe with the pet trade. Three species are now native to Baden-Württemberg. For local turtles, the immigrants could become a danger.

And these weren’t the first animal imperialists either. The next thing you know they’ll move up to house pet level and American German Shepards will start taking over.

Gott Sei Dank

October 20, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hypocrisy Tags: Brexit, EU, Exports, German, Germans, Germany, Imports, Language Leave a comment

Thank God. The Germans are relieved. For a while there things were starting to look way too positive.

Post-Brexit-wise.

Positive trend in German exports to Britain no cause for optimism – DIHK.

German exports to Britain this year could grow for the first time since 2015, statstics office data showed, but the DIHK business association said the numbers did not mark a turn for the better, especially in light of Britain’s current turbulence.

Germans Thinking About Reducing Their Dependency On China

September 9, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: China, Dependency, Exports, Germany, Imports, Industry Leave a comment

Why on earth for? It worked great with Russia.

German economy ministry reviews measures to curb China business – Germany’s economy ministry is considering a raft of measures to make business with China less attractive as it seeks to reduce its dependency on Asia’s economic superpower, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The measures could include reducing or even scrapping investment and export guarantees for China and no longer promoting trade fairs and manager training there, those people said. Loans from state lender KfW could be re-directed to projects in other Asian countries, such as Indonesia, in line with attempts to diversify trade and increase business with democracies.

German Of The Day: Handelsbilanzdefizit

July 5, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Hurt Feelings Tags: Defizits, Exports, German, Germans, Germany, Imports, Language, Trade Leave a comment

That means trade deficit.

Germany warns of ‘historic challenge’ as trade slides into deficit – Soaring energy prices and trading disruption push balance €1bn into the red for May.

Imports increased 2.7 per cent to €126.7bn from April to May while month-on-month exports fell 0.5 per cent to €125.8bn, according to data released on Monday by the federal statistical agency.

“In the past. Germany could always rely on strong exports to revive the economy and today’s numbers show the trade balance will not return as a positive element for growth for at least the next couple of years,”

German Of The Day: Tank-Rabatt

March 14, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Home Cooking Tags: Coal, Consumers, Energy, Gas, Gasoline, German, Germany, Imports, Inflation, Language, Oil, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

That means tank discount.

No. Not those kind of tanks. Like tanks of gas. Germans will soon only have to pay an arm for their gasoline. They can keep their legs. For now.

German finance minister plans gasoline discount – German Finance Minister Christian Lindner plans to introduce a discount on gasoline to help motorists cope with doaring prices, Bild daily reported on Sunday.

50% Is Pretty Dependent

March 9, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: Angela Merkel, Dependency, Energy, Gas, German, Germans, Germany, Imports, Oil, Russia Leave a comment

I’d say. But maybe that’s just me.

Hey, the Germans couldn’t have done it without Angela Merkel.

Factbox: How dependent is Germany on Russian gas?

Russia has warned it may shut off its main Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany after Berlin halted approval of a second line across the Baltic Sea in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Well, Then He Shouldn’t Announce Tariffs, Right?

May 15, 2019 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy Tags: EU, Europe, Exports, Germany, Imports, Tariffs, Trade, USA Leave a comment

German auto sector could drop as much as 12% if Trump announces tariffs, analyst says.

Gee, I wonder if there is anything the Germans/Europeans could do to prevent that from happening? I dunno. How about like maybe lowering their tariffs? Just thinking out loud here, people.

Germany’s automotive sector could fall as much as 12% over “three bad trading days,” if President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on European car manufacturers, one analyst told CNBC.

Trump has until Friday midnight (Washington time) to decide whether to impose duties on car imports. This would likely hurt Germany, the EU’s traditional growth engine, given that it is one of the largest direct car exporters to the U.S.

“If indeed we get U.S. car tariffs on imports from the euro zone — not just their announcement, you could forget our economic forecasts completely. No chance of a sustained pick-up in activity throughout the second half as we expect.”

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Tag Archives: Imports