The EU Worries It Could Be the Collateral Damage of a U.S.-China Trade Deal

The EU Worries It Could Be the Collateral Damage of a U.S.-China Trade Deal
Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, Nov. 6, 2019 (AP photo by Mark Schiefelbein).

Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, WPR Newsletter and Engagement Editor Benjamin Wilhelm curates the week’s top news and expert analysis on China.

European leaders reportedly fear that the anticipated “phase one” trade deal between the United States and China could harm the interests of the European Union. “We don’t want Europe to be a collateral victim of a U.S.-China trade deal,” a French government official told Politico, as President Emmanuel Macron traveled to China this week for a two-day visit that included a stop in Shanghai for the China International Import Expo and a state visit to Beijing, where he signed a flurry of deals with President Xi Jinping.

In the hopes of presenting a unified European front, Macron was accompanied on the trip by the EU’s incoming trade commissioner, Phil Hogan, and a delegation from Germany. If Trump reaches a trade truce with China, European officials worry that he will then target the EU with more tariffs, including on automobiles and other industries, to force trade concessions out of Brussels.

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