European Union Should Pursue ‘Rational Decision’ Amid US Uncertainty, Says Chinese State Media
The European Union’s trade chief, Maroš Šefčovič, is set to land in China this week, following a visit to the United States on Tuesday to ease tensions over the recent trade spat. Both sides had threatened retaliatory tariffs on goods worth billions of dollars.
On Wednesday, a day after Šefčovič’s visit, US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose new tariffs on imported vehicles, which would affect European auto manufacturers, particularly German ones, that export nearly 25% of their vehicles to the United States.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the US decision was “bad for businesses and even worse for consumers” and the EU would continue to seek negotiated solutions while protecting its economic interests.
“In the degree to which US policy uncertainty increases, China as a global power will become more significant due to its stability and reliability” wrote the Global Times, a Chinese state-run newspaper, in an editorial published on Wednesday.
According to Jens Eskelund, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, Šefčovič is likely to address the trade imbalance between the EU and China, as well as the long-standing problems faced by European businesses in China, including a lack of reciprocal access to procurement opportunities, market access hurdles and issues with cross-border data transfers.
However, Eskelund also noted that Šefčovič would likely emphasize the growing importance of strengthening EU-China relations, especially in the context of the EU’s internal market being a significant export destination for Chinese goods.
Šefčovič is one of several high-ranking European officials visiting China this week, including the foreign ministers of France and Portugal.
During a meeting with Portugal’s top diplomat on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing supported Europe in maintaining its “strategic autonomy” and would work with Portugal to improve Sino-EU relations.
China is also affected by the far-reaching US sanctions and has announced its own countermeasures.