Political differences between the world’s major states and trade blocs should be resolved by talks rather than trade wars, leading Italian shipowner and International Chamber of Shipping chairman Emanuele Grimaldi said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the TradeWinds Shipowners Forum in Athens, Grimaldi reiterated his recent criticism of protectionism, after the European Union announced it would investigate Chinese electric vehicle subsidies.
“Half the industry in the US is receiving huge subsidies to survive,” he said, adding that a series of car makers in Europe are controlled by the government, such as Renault and Skoda.
He admitted there are issues of “tax symmetry” between the trade blocs but said this is better addressed by talks rather than protectionist measures: “This needs to be negotiated … there is no need to start a big fuss about it.”
Grimaldi generally displayed scepticism about using trade tools to enforce political aims.
“This idea that you can export democracy is an American dream, it doesn’t work,” he said, pointing to the “chaos” such policies led to in Libya and Iraq.
Another domain in which he thinks talks trump unilateral measures is the environment.
The EU’s Emissions Trading System, which will soon include shipping, “is very wrong if we only address 7% of the emissions”, he said.
“Europe should make sure to negotiate with diplomacy so that we reach a world solution.”
Politics? No thank you
The political success of shipping investor Stefanos Kasselakis, who was voted Greek opposition leader on Sunday, does not prompt Grimaldi to seek a political career.
“[Former Italian prime minister Silvio] Berlusconi asked me many times to enter politics,” Grimaldi said.
The Italian owner, whose father was a member of parliament, said he not only refused but also prevented his son from accepting similar offers.
“I told him I would sack him if he enters politics,” he told the forum.
