[By Guancha Observer Network, Qi Qian] US President Donald Trump has become increasingly dissatisfied with the EU and has just threatened to impose a 50% tariff on EU member states.

According to a May 23 report by the US Wall Street Journal, several sources familiar with the matter revealed that members of the Trump administration had privately expressed dissatisfaction to the EU. They believe that different priorities among EU member states have slowed down the negotiation process, and the EU representatives are being overly cautious and unwilling to address US concerns, including media service fees, value-added tax, automobile regulations, and fines imposed on US companies in antitrust cases.

At the same time, some insiders pointed out that Trump administration officials have consistently sought to pressure China on trade issues together with allies. Previously, the UK agreed to impose tariffs on Chinese steel, but the EU has yet to agree to impose tariffs on Chinese goods, only stating that it will discuss relevant issues with the US.

Earlier, Trump posted on his social media platform "Truth Social," suggesting a 50% tariff on the EU starting June 1. Trump also criticized the EU, saying its original purpose was to take advantage of the US.

Trump wrote, "The EU - an organization originally established to take advantage of the US in trade - has always been very difficult to deal with. They set up strong trade barriers, impose value-added taxes, absurd corporate fines, non-monetary trade barriers, currency manipulation, unfair and unreasonable litigation against US companies... "

Trump further stated that there has been no progress in US-EU negotiations, "Therefore, I suggest imposing a 50% tariff directly on EU products starting June 1, 2025. If the product is manufactured or produced in the US, no tariff will be levied."

Screenshot of Trump's post

The report noted that for many years, Trump has expressed anger at Europe in both public and private settings. He has repeatedly criticized European leaders, with sharpness even surpassing his criticism of American political opponents.

Since the beginning of his first term, Trump has criticized NATO member states for insufficient defense spending, and he has repeated this accusation over the years. In February this year, he said that the EU "was established to exploit the US." This month, he again stated that the EU is "worse than China," accusing the EU of targeting American companies with antitrust fines. Compared to the EU's cautious and procedural approach, Trump has more straightforwardly pressured the EU.

It was reported that Trump's latest threat caught EU officials and diplomats off guard because they had recently expressed optimism, believing that US-EU trade negotiations, which had slowly started, were beginning to improve.

A source familiar with the negotiation situation said that the EU and the US had recently exchanged documents outlining key points that might be discussed in trade negotiations. Some European diplomats considered this a positive development, and the EU privately expressed willingness to cooperate with the US to address what it called "state subsidies" in key industries by China.

A few hours after Trump's post, Maros Sefcovic, the EU commissioner responsible for trade and economic security, spoke with US Trade Representative Jamiesson Greer and US Commerce Secretary Rutnik.

After the call, Sefcovic said that the EU is fully engaged in trade negotiations with the US but is also prepared to defend its own interests. He wrote on social media that the scale of bilateral trade is unprecedented, but "mutual respect, not threats, must guide us."

EU Trade Commissioner responds to Trump's tariff threat

An EU official said the same day that China is not the main issue in their negotiations. It was reported that EU officials have been trying to find a middle ground with the US, avoiding measures as strong as China's reciprocal countermeasures while being tougher than the UK.

Discussions related to China are part of the US strategy aimed at pushing trading partners to "punish" China through negotiations on what Trump calls "reciprocal tariffs." The US strategy aims to limit China's participation in other economies, particularly in strategic industries like steel, and to push other countries to impose tariffs on Chinese goods.

Insiders said that the US has made similar requests to other major trading partners such as Japan and South Korea, but no commitments have been obtained. China remains an important market for EU exports, and the EU does not want to engage in a trade war with China.

It was also mentioned that the EU and the Trump administration have starkly different attitudes toward trade negotiations. Trump has been eager to announce an agreement quickly, but the EU needs to regularly communicate with its 27 member states, meaning that the EU's actions tend to be slower. This is another reason why Trump is frustrated with trade negotiations. It was revealed that US Treasury Secretary Besant recently expressed this concern to the EU.

In addition, so far, the EU has opposed some of Trump's demands, namely, it does not plan to change the EU's value-added tax policy. The Trump administration has been critical of this policy, considering it discriminatory against US businesses. EU officials also stated that the EU will not change its healthcare and digital regulations.

The EU previously approved tariffs on $24 billion worth of US imports, but after the Trump administration announced a 90-day suspension of certain US tariffs, the EU suspended these tariffs. The EU also proposed that if negotiations with the US fail, tariffs would be imposed on up to $108 billion worth of第二批 US goods.

In April this year, the EU trade commissioner traveled to Washington, proposing reduced industrial tariffs between both sides and increased EU purchases of US energy and soybeans, but returned empty-handed.

Recently, the US submitted a document to the EU outlining several areas where it hopes the EU will make concessions, including implementing non-tariff barriers and "economic security" policies. It is known that the term "economic security" is often used to refer to concerns about China's dominant position in the economy. According to insiders, the EU's response covered multiple trade issues and implied its readiness to cooperate on China-related matters.

An EU diplomat told the Wall Street Journal that it is difficult to tell from Trump's post whether he really intends to follow through on his tariff threat. The diplomat said, "You cannot base policy on a post on 'Truth Social.'"

As early as April, reports surfaced that the Trump administration was preparing to pressure other countries in tariff negotiations to limit trade with China in exchange for US tariff exemptions.

On April 22 local time, the EU responded by stating that US-EU tariff negotiations are unrelated to Sino-European relations. Despite recent developments, the EU's China policy will remain "unchanged," and the EU will not decouple from China. "We are negotiating with the US. This is a negotiation between two parties discussing how to achieve mutual benefits. This is different from our relationship with China."

At the time, the Ministry of Commerce spokesperson emphasized that facing unilateralism and protectionism, no country can remain unscathed. Once international trade returns to the "law of the jungle," all countries will become victims. China is willing to strengthen unity and coordination with all parties, work together to resist unilateral hegemonic behavior, safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, and uphold international fairness and justice.

This article is an exclusive contribution by the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7507962270824956466/

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