German state politician calls for EU tariffs on Chinese hybrid cars, letter shows

By Andreas Rinke

BERLIN, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Sebastian Lechner, the CDU state chairman of Lower Saxony, is calling for the European Union to quickly impose import tariffs on Chinese hybrid cars, a letter seen by Reuters on Friday showed. 

• "It is precisely these hybrids that are currently facing the greatest import pressure from Chinese automakers," Lechner told Reuters later on Friday.

• Lechner pointed to an OECD study showing that approximately 60% of the market share held by Chinese products abroad is attributable to subsidies, something he called a "distortion of competition" in trade policy. "We expect the European Commission and the German federal government to adjust our trade policy toward China,” the politician said.

• In Lower Saxony, the issue is an important one for the Wolfsburg-based Volkswagen Group.

• Import duties are already in place for electric cars from China and Lechner said EU tariffs on hybrid cars from China must be imposed quickly.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke, writing by Maria Martinez; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)