US Tariffs: European Union reacts against US tariffs on steel, aluminum imports
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And with US tariffs set to hit steel and aluminum imports from the EU, our correspondent Mariam Zaidi brings us more on the reaction from Europe.
"Unjustified protectionism pure and simple." After US President Donald Trump slapped Canada, Mexico and the EU with tariffs on imported steel and aluminium, recriminations rang out across the European Union.
JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER EU COMMISSION PRESIDENT "It's a bad day for world trade. It's totally unacceptable that a country is imposing unilateral measures when it comes to world trade."
ANTONIO TAJANI, PRESIDENT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT "The history trade teaches us how the protectionism is a negative sum game. It suits no one and only risks triggering trade wars that are harmful to everyone."
If Trump has indeed turned the US away from multilateralism, the EU was ready to fight back. On Friday the EU Trade Commissioner detailed the bloc's line of attack.
CECILIA MALMSTROM EU COMMISSION TRADE COMMISSIONER "The EU will today send a request for consultations at the WTO. We have started preparations for rebalancing measures in a couple of weeks. And our safeguard investigations and pre-surveillance of market of steel and aluminium in Europe."
But also on the day after the storm, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in town to meet EU officials. With plans for the two sides to push for closer cooperation across a range of issues including trade.
FEDERICA MOGHERINI EU FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHIEF "We are clearly living times of geopolitical turbulence and uncertainties so the cooperation between China and the European Union becomes even more important."
Was that a signal that Trump's measures were giving the US traditional allies an opportunity to push their own cooperation, an economic expert in Brussels weighs in.
GUNTRAM WOLFF, DIRECTOR BRUEGEL THINK TANK BRUSSELS "We immediately concluded the free trade agreement with Japan that was pending for years and years. Trump came into office, the Japanese were in town and that deal was concluded. Think about the discussions with Mercosur - the Latin America trade agreement. Those negotiations have been going on for ages and I think there's now new dynamism in this discussion with EU and Mercosur."
Mariam Zaidi, CGTN Brussels.