The EU is coming up with another "bad idea". Ursula von der Leyen proposed to Trump that they join hands to deal with China.

In the midst of the Sino-US tariff war, there are also frictions in Sino-European economic and trade relations. The Financial Times reported that the EU refused to hold a high-level economic and trade meeting before the China-EU Summit. At the same time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated at the G7 Summit that the common problem they face now is China, not the trade between G7 partner countries.

As the July China-EU summit approaches, the Financial Times cited four sources as saying that the EU refused to hold a high-level economic and trade dialogue with China before the summit.

The high-level economic and trade dialogue between Europe and China often lays the foundation for the EU-China leaders' meeting. Sources said that this year's China-EU summit will be held in Beijing on July 24-25. This year is also the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU.

A source quoted by the Financial Times said that China wanted to hold an economic and trade high-level dialogue, but the European side believed that no progress had been made in all negotiations.

Last year, the EU imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, and China took countermeasures against EU brandy. In addition to mutual anti-dumping investigations, sources told the Financial Times that China's control over rare earths was also a factor of tension in bilateral relations.

However, one EU official told the newspaper that the high-level economic and trade dialogue between Europe and China is not held regularly and does not necessarily take place before the summit.

The Financial Times also reported that the level of the leader attending the summit from China was also seen by Brussels as a rejection.

In response to questions from reporters, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that under the current circumstances where unilateralism is rampant, deepening cooperation between China and the EU is beneficial to the world. "China and the EU have always maintained communication on issues such as the economy and trade."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was attending the G7 Summit in Canada, then proposed to Trump that they join hands to deal with China.

According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Von der Leyen said at a working meeting of the G7 that ultimately companies would pass on the tariffs to American consumers through price increases. She also criticized that tariffs would divert attention from problems in China while bringing uncertainty to growth and innovation.

Von der Leyen said that from the EU's point of view, the root cause lies in China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 rather than trade between G7 partners. She also said that Trump was right that the current global trading system was not functioning properly.

Von der Leyen proposed that they jointly address the existing problems with China, using the negotiation power of the G7. She said that the G7 accounts for 45% of the world economy and 80% of intellectual property revenue. She suggested reforming WTO rules, strengthening supply chain resilience, and playing a leading role in technology and industry.

Source: DW

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1835201212864516/

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