加拿大政府正在進行公眾諮詢，以了解加拿大是否應效仿美國和歐盟對中國製造的電動車加徵關稅。然而，加拿大的這種保護主義趨勢不僅反映了西方對中國日益增長的「經濟威脅」的普遍看法，而且還提出了一個問題：1970年代和80年代，日本汽車湧入加拿大最終是如何應對的？
方慧蘭：防止加國成為中國傾銷場
加拿大副總理兼財政部長方慧蘭（Chrystia Freeland）宣布，加拿大政府將於7月2日就擬議關稅啟動為期30天的公眾諮詢期，以保護加拿大發展中的電動汽車產業的汽車工人。根據加拿大《關稅法》第53條，可能會對進口中國電動車徵收附加稅。加拿大政府將就保護加拿大國家利益，以及中國相關的勞工和環境標準徵求公眾意見。
近年來，中國已成為最大的電動車製造國和出口國。美國今年將對中國電動車的關稅從25%提高到100%，而中國正在就歐盟宣布7月4日將對中國製造的電動車徵收高達38%的關稅展開談判。
方慧蘭表示，計劃中的措施將防止加拿大成為「中國供應過剩的傾銷場」。安大略省省長福特（Douglas Ford）表示，為了保護汽車產業工人的就業，希望渥太華聯邦政府能夠追平甚至超過美國的關稅。方慧蘭則批評中國實行政府主導的政策和補貼，導致「產能過剩」，湧入全球市場。
加拿大工會人士和汽車業的第一個反應是，出於自我保護主義，他們支持加拿大政府的計劃。
美國、歐盟和加拿大都擔心自己的汽車製造商無法與價格相對便宜的中國電動車製造商，尤其是與比亞迪進行競爭。
指責毫無根據 加國亦補貼國內產業
中國政府表示，外國對中國電動車「產能過剩」的指摘「毫無根據」，加拿大加徵關稅的計劃「違反世界貿易組織規則」並「損害中加雙邊經貿合作」。
事實上，加拿大最近已經補貼了自己的電動車產業。渥太華、安大略省和魁北克省承諾提供500億加元的補貼，鼓勵福士（Volkswagen ）和本田（Honda）等外國汽車製造商在該國建造電動車工廠。據報道，2023 年電動車進口額約為 22 億加元，而 2022 年為 8400 萬加元，而實際上加拿大進口的大多數電動車都來自美國汽車製造商 Telsa，不過，中國電動車在加拿大電動車市場中所佔的比例愈來愈大。
加拿大加徵關稅計劃的一些批評者認為，高關稅只會給加拿大消費者帶來更高的價格，當局應該輔以積極的政策措施，幫助當地汽車製造商趕上中國，並生產價格友好的優質電動車，而不僅僅是是推遲從汽油車到電動車的過渡期。
中加形成妥協 有利雙贏局面
其他批評者認為，中國電動車進入加拿大是不可避免的，加拿大應該學習如何應對日本製造的豐田、得勝（Datsun，日產的子品牌）和本田，這些日本汽車的進口量，從1970年佔北美市場的4%，迅速增加到1980年的 20% 。1981年，美國和加拿大與日本就各公司進口日本汽車的數量上限進行了談判。最重要的是，鼓勵日本汽車製造商在加拿大開設製造工廠，加速加拿大汽車工業的轉型，創造雙贏的局面。
其他批評者則認為，僅關稅一項就可能會將中國電動車製造基地轉移到墨西哥和巴西等其他地方，在那裏將僱用更多汽車工人。換句話說，加拿大政府應該採取更主動、更積極的態度來向中國作出妥協。例如，在加拿大擁有比亞迪組裝廠將為當地創造就業機會，並為有興趣購買電動車的加拿大客戶提供更多選擇。
加拿大對中國電動車的關稅計劃可歸因於以下幾個因素：加拿大政府傾向於效仿美國和歐盟的例子來保護其電動車產業；加拿大既得利益的持份者有自我保護的本能；執政的自由黨擔心，在目前的民意和輿論對政府不利的情況下，會失去更多選票；以及將中國視為西方已開發國家眼中的「經濟威脅」的普遍趨勢。
總之，在西方普遍認為中國「經濟威脅」的情況下，加拿大政府對中國電動車加徵關稅的計劃，已經獲得了當地汽車產業持份者的初步支持。儘管如此，雙贏的局面將是加拿大和中國之間的妥協，或許允許一些中國電動汽車公司在加拿大開設組裝廠，當地汽車工人將成為受益者，當地汽車消費者將有更大的選擇自由，並且為了實現可持續發展的公共利益，從汽油車到電動車的轉變甚至會加速。這種雙贏的局面能否成為現實，仍有待觀察。
Canada’s tariff plan on Chinese EVs and its implications
The Canadian government is launching a public consultation to see whether Canada should follow the US and EU to adopt tariffs on Chinese-made Electric Vehicles (EVs). However, this trend of Canadian protectionism not only reflects a widespread Western perception of the rising Chinese “economic threat,” but also raises a question of how the influx of Japanese automobiles was eventually tackled in Canada during the 1970s and 1980s.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has announced that the Canadian government on July 2 would trigger a 30-day consultation on the proposed tariffs to protect Canada’s auto workers in their developing EVs industry. There would likely be a surtax on the imports of Chinese EVs under Section 53 of the Customs Tariff Act. The Canadian government will seek public views on the protection of Canada’s national interests and on related Chinese labour and environmental standards.
In recent years, China has become the largest manufacturer and exporter of EVs. The US will raise tariffs on the Chinese EVs from 25 percent to 100 percent in 2024, while the EU will impose tariffs of up to 38 percent on Chinese-made EVs on July 4. China is now negotiating with the EU on the matter of tariffs.
Canadian Finance Minister Freeland said the proposed measures would prevent Canada from becoming “a dumping ground for Chinese oversupply.” Ontario provincial premier Douglas Ford said he hoped the federal government in Ottawa would match or even exceed US tariffs for the sake of protecting jobs in the automobile sector, while Freeland criticised China for flooding the global markets under the policy direction and subsidies of the Chinese government.
The immediate reaction of Canada’s unionists and auto sector is that they support the Canadian government plan due to self-protectionism.
The US, EU, and Canada are all concerned that their own car manufacturers cannot compete with the relatively much cheaper prices of Chinese EVs makers, especially BYD Company Ltd.
The Chinese government said that foreign accusations of Chinese “overcapacity” in EVs is “totally groundless,” and that the Canadian tariff plan would “violate World Trade Organization rules” and “harm Sino-Canadian bilateral economic and trade cooperation.”
In fact, Canada has recently subsidised its own EVs industry. Ottawa, Ontario and Quebec have promised Canadian $50 billion subsidies to encourage foreign auto makers, such as Volkswagen and Honda, to build EVs plants in the country. Imports of EVs were reportedly about Canadian $2.2 billion in 2023 compared with Canadian $84 million in 2022, but actually most EVs imported to Canada are from US auto maker Telsa. The Chinese EVs are making up a growing proportion of the EVs market in Canada.
Some critics of the Canadian plan argue that high tariffs would raise prizes for Canadian customers, and that it should be accompanied by positive policy measures helping local automakers catch up with China and produce their budget-friendly and quality EVs rather than just delaying the transition from gasoline cars to EVs.
Other critics say that the entry of Chinese EVs into Canada is inevitable and that Canada should learn from how it dealt with the rapid increase in the imports of Japanese-made Toyotas, Datsuns and Hondas from 4 percent of the North American market in 1970 to 20 percent in 1980. In 1981, the US and Canada negotiated with Japan on a ceiling of the number of imported Japanese vehicles from each individual company. Most importantly, the Japanese automobile makers were encouraged to open their manufacturing factories in Canada, accelerating the metamorphosis of the Canadian automobile industry and creating a win-win situation.
Other critics have commented that tariffs alone would likely shift the Chinese EVs manufacturing bases to other places, like Mexico and Brazil, where more auto workers will be employed. In other words, the Canadian government should adopt a more proactive and positive approach to making compromises with China. Having a BYD assembly plant in Canada, for example, would generate local employment and also provide more choices to Canadian customers who are interested in buying EVs.
The Canadian tariff plan on Chinese EVs can be attributable to several factors: the tendency of the Canadian government to follow the examples of US and EU in protecting their EVs industry; the self-protective nature of Canadian stakeholders with their own vested interests; the fear of the ruling Liberal Party of losing more votes under the currently unfavourable public opinion and media against the government; and the common trend of perceiving China as an “economic threat” in the eyes of the developed Western world.
In conclusion, the Canadian government’s tariff plan on Chinese EVs has secured the initial support of local stakeholders in the automobile industry amid a general Western perception of the Chinese “economic threat.” Nevertheless, a win-win scenario would be a compromise between Canada and China, allowing perhaps a few Chinese EVs companies to open assembly plants in Canada where local auto workers will be the beneficiaries, where local car customers will have greater freedom of choice, and where the transition from gasoline cars to EVs for the public interest of achieving sustainable development will even be accelerated. It remains to be seen whether such a win-win situation will become a reality.
原刊於澳門新聞通訊社（MNA）網站，本社獲作者授權轉載。原文網址：https://www.macaubusiness.com/opinion-canadas-tariff-plan-on-chinese-evs-and-its-implications/
