"We are going through a difficult time," French President Emmanuel Macron lamented at the Paris Motor Show, which began on Monday, October 14. "The European market is shrinking and competition from China is very strong."

In times like these, he said, it is necessary to take measures to protect domestic firms in order to implement fair rules.

"If certain manufacturers in China receive subsidies, it is normal to introduce tariffs to compensate for this. Otherwise, you are not playing by fair rules. And we support that," said Macron.

At the beginning of October, the European Commission decided to introduce additional tariffs on electric cars manufactured in China.

While France, Italy, the Netherlands and many other EU members supported the move, Germany voted against it.

Even though Brussels and Beijing are still negotiating and hoping to settle the issue amicably, the first salvos in the trade war have already been fired.

China last week slapped provisional tariffs on brandy imported from the European Union, and it's also conducting an anti-subsidy probe targeting the bloc's dairy sector.

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The "Made in China" e-car has the potential to trigger a full-on trade war between China and the EU, and it seems businesses on both sides are less than thrilled about this possibility.

All German........

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