In the escalating trade war between America and China, the European Union risks being stranded in no man’s land. Donald Trump has raised tariffs on Chinese imports to 145 per cent with Beijing imposing their own tariffs of 84 per cent. The American President remains bullish that America and China can thrash out a deal, saying: ‘I’m sure that we’ll be able to get along very well…I think that we’ll end up working out something that’s very good for both countries.’
The EU will hope so because the trade war threatens to create dangerous fault lines within the bloc of 27 nations. On Thursday, Ursula von der Leyen postponed the EU’s retaliatory tariffs after Trump’s decision to suspend American tariffs for ninety days. ‘We want to give negotiations a chance,’ announced the European Commission president.
Brussels boasts of its unity, but when the bloc is put under stress, the cracks appear
EU spokesman Olof Gill followed von der Leyen’s statement by saying that they ‘want to negotiate, we want to talk’.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in