BEIJING: The European Union should safeguard its interests and make the “rational choice” of turning further towards China given the uncertainty generated by the new administration in the United States, China’s state-run Global Times said in an editorial.
The EU’s trade chief, Maros Sefcovic, is due to land in China this week after visiting the United States on Tuesday (Mar 25) to soothe ties strained this month when both sides threatened retaliatory counter tariffs on goods worth billions of dollars.
On Wednesday, a day after Sefcovic’s visit, US President Donald Trump said he would impose new tariffs on imported vehicles in a move that would batter European automakers, particularly German car producers, which count on the United States for almost 25 per cent of their auto exports.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the US decision was “bad for businesses, worse for consumers,” and that the EU would continue to seek negotiated solutions while safeguarding its economic interests.
“As the uncertainty of US policy increases, China, as a major global power, is becoming increasingly prominent for its stability and reliability,” the Global Times, a nationalist tabloid, wrote in the editorial published late on Wednesday.
