German Finance Minister Christian Lindner criticized US economic policy against the backdrop of the US Anti-Inflation Act, warning at the same time of the outbreak of a trade war with the United States.

"The United States is our valuable partner, but at the same time it has a huge protectionist economic policy," Lindner said - in remarks to be published on Sunday in the German weekly Welt am Sonntag.

He added that the German government should represent German interests in Washington, and point out the negative consequences for the country as a result of this policy.

Lindner stated that - unlike the French economy - the German economy is closely linked to the US market, and said: "For this reason, Germany cannot have any interest in a trade war, but it must rely on economic diplomacy."

And the US Inflation Reduction Act provides a massive subsidy of $430 billion for US-made products and aims to address the climate crisis.

Subsidies and tax breaks are associated with companies that use American products or produce in the United States.

There are many criticisms of this in Europe.

European leaders say that the law signed by US President Joe Biden - last August - is unfair to non-American companies, and will represent a severe blow to European economies at a time when Europe is trying to control the repercussions of the Russian war in Ukraine that began last February.

 Find a settlement

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue during his state visit to the United States, warning that the law would create huge differences that would not prompt many companies to invest in Europe, threatening to divide the West.

Yesterday, Friday, Macron expressed his desire to "settle" the issue of trade "waivers" that the European Union is asking the United States to include in its climate plan by the first quarter of 2023.

On the other hand, Lindner called for taking the law as an opportunity to improve competitiveness, and said: "If you look at it clearly, you will realize that the ever-increasing requirements of the European Union for the economy in relation to energy prices are no less dangerous than the distortion of competition by the United States."

For his part, German Economics Minister Robert Habeck announced a "strong response" by the European Union to the US law.