German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Chancellor Angela Merkel attend a cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel on Tuesday issued an indirect warning against stoking nationalism and promoting protectionism to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

In a speech in Berlin, Gabriel said: “Nationalism and protectionism are not the recipies for greatness.”

Gabriel, the leader of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and also Economy Minister, criticized Trump’s threat to raise border taxes on BMW for cars built in Mexico. Gabriel said such trade barriers would make cars in the United States more expensive and of poorer quality.