The United States President Donald Trump should expect a strong response form the European Union to any new trade tariffs, warned the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD).
There is still hope that the trade spats between the traditional trade partners could be solved consensually, Mass said while speaking during an appearance on the public broadcaster ARD. However, if the trade dispute is enhanced further by Trump, Europe would not "allow itself to be threatened and would not simply surrender", he said.
Brussels would not be left with any alternative but to take retaliatory action against the range of US products because of the Trump administration, argued the German foreign minister. If such action is not taken by the EU, there would be drastic damage to the credibility of the bloc and the greater rules based global free trading system.
While it was crucial for Germany and France to express concerns on the issue in one voice, Maas also emphasized that the same needs to be done by Europe as a whole. This would help the voice to be heard at a global level. The minister said that those EU member countries that remain divided on the free trade issue would be left to fend for themselves against the greater non-European powers and as such they would have very little control over their own future.
There can be no one who can be seriously interested in imposing new and higher import tariffs as has been threatened by the U.S., says the German Social Democrat (SPD).
"At the end of the day, all sides will lose, including the American side", Mass said. And consequently, ultimately the US would put an end to its trade policy based on protectionism that it is currently following, he added.
Creation of a "shared understanding of the facts" was a key to finding a solution to U.S.-EU trade dispute, argued the Federation of German Industries (BDI) recently. For example, the EU has to impress upon the US that more than 118,000 people in the U.S. are employed by the German automotive industry and the German industry in the country exports over 60 per cent of the cars vehicles it produces in the US to other countries thereby helping the US exports.
In the coming days, trips to South Korea and Japan is scheduled for Maas. It is expected that he would discuss the potential for a joint response to the policy of tariffs hat has bene taken by the US by voicing their concerns jointly with the EU and those other countries impacted by the Trump tariffs.
(Source:www.xinhuanet.com)
There is still hope that the trade spats between the traditional trade partners could be solved consensually, Mass said while speaking during an appearance on the public broadcaster ARD. However, if the trade dispute is enhanced further by Trump, Europe would not "allow itself to be threatened and would not simply surrender", he said.
Brussels would not be left with any alternative but to take retaliatory action against the range of US products because of the Trump administration, argued the German foreign minister. If such action is not taken by the EU, there would be drastic damage to the credibility of the bloc and the greater rules based global free trading system.
While it was crucial for Germany and France to express concerns on the issue in one voice, Maas also emphasized that the same needs to be done by Europe as a whole. This would help the voice to be heard at a global level. The minister said that those EU member countries that remain divided on the free trade issue would be left to fend for themselves against the greater non-European powers and as such they would have very little control over their own future.
There can be no one who can be seriously interested in imposing new and higher import tariffs as has been threatened by the U.S., says the German Social Democrat (SPD).
"At the end of the day, all sides will lose, including the American side", Mass said. And consequently, ultimately the US would put an end to its trade policy based on protectionism that it is currently following, he added.
Creation of a "shared understanding of the facts" was a key to finding a solution to U.S.-EU trade dispute, argued the Federation of German Industries (BDI) recently. For example, the EU has to impress upon the US that more than 118,000 people in the U.S. are employed by the German automotive industry and the German industry in the country exports over 60 per cent of the cars vehicles it produces in the US to other countries thereby helping the US exports.
In the coming days, trips to South Korea and Japan is scheduled for Maas. It is expected that he would discuss the potential for a joint response to the policy of tariffs hat has bene taken by the US by voicing their concerns jointly with the EU and those other countries impacted by the Trump tariffs.
(Source:www.xinhuanet.com)
