Lobbying efforts against China tariffs are growing in some Western countries

Lobbying efforts on both sides of the Atlantic pointed to growing opposition to Western trade restrictions on China.

Germany joined a push against proposed European Union tariffs on China’s electric-vehicle industry, the South China Morning Post reported, after Spain indicated it would oppose the barriers following a visit by its prime minister to China.

Beijing has employed a carrot-and-stick approach to cajole individual EU members to oppose the tariffs, Reuters reported, adding: “China’s tactics appear to be working.”

Separately, a US House of Representatives committee on China complained of efforts by semiconductor companies to erode American curbs on Beijing’s access to cutting-edge chip technology.