• gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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    6 months ago

    Holy christ the media is overall doing a completely shit job of clearly presenting what’s actually going on here. I’ll help:

    The PRC is engaging in economic warfare by heavily subsidizing export EV production costs for basically all of their car manufacturers, in the interest of pushing literally everyone else out of the market.

    That’s it. That’s the story.

    It is entirely rational and justified to enact trade protections to combat those tactics.

    And before anyone tries to gatcha me on being pro-American car manufacturer or whatever: again, no. The split is China/not-China. They’re undercutting EVERYONE else intentionally.

    • itsonlygeorge@reddthat.com
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      6 months ago

      China has an excess EVs and are looking for places to offload their inventory and contracts for the supporting charging infrastructure.

      • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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        6 months ago

        No… China is looking to put everyone else who’s manufacturing EVs out of business - or at least, severely diminish their market share. It’s economic warfare. It’s quite obvious.

        I’m a little surprised, but also amused, at the intense pushback I’m getting from some people on this topic. It seems to fall into two categories:

        • sinophiles
        • “leftists” who are oddly focused on wanting a product for less than it actually costs to make, and damn the larger scale geopolitical implications.
      • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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        6 months ago

        There aren’t any export subsidies.

        It is beyond me why so many people are refusing to acknowledge that export subsidies and domestic rebates are entirely different things. I know that it’s nuanced. But there is a meaningful difference, and in a geopolitical sense, the difference is actually quite immense. Pretending it’s the same is to going to make it the same.