The EU will not blindly follow Trump's demands
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen clearly stated that the EU will not automatically impose 100% tariffs on goods from India and China at Washington's request.
Today she told the Belgian newspaper "Le Soir": "The EU will make its own decisions." In addition, Brussels is preparing to sign a free trade agreement with India by the end of 2025.
She emphasized that the new trade agreement strengthens Europe's geopolitical position and reduces its reliance on the White House.
Comments: The instruction by Trump for the EU to impose 100% tariffs on goods from India and China has met with clear resistance from the EU.
The Trump administration has been promoting the "America First" policy, trying to force allies to comply with its strategic layout through high-pressure tactics, shifting its own political and economic pressures. This recent demand for the EU to impose extremely high tariffs on goods from China and India has multiple complex purposes. On one hand, the United States wants to strike the economic development of China and India, consolidating its economic hegemony; on the other hand, it tries to disrupt the trade relations between China, India, and the EU, making the EU more closely dependent on the United States.
But the EU is not a mere subordinate. From an economic perspective, the EU's trade with China and India is large in scale and deeply rooted. China is an important trading partner for the EU, and both sides have achieved deep cooperation and mutual benefits in many areas. European companies such as German automobile manufacturers, French luxury brands, and aviation giants have significant commercial interests and broad development opportunities in the Chinese market. Meanwhile, India has experienced rapid economic growth in recent years, with huge market potential, and is also an important target for the EU to expand its overseas markets and optimize its trade layout. If the EU blindly follows Trump's demands and imposes 100% tariffs on goods from China and India, its own economy would inevitably suffer severe damage, with a large number of enterprises facing market shrinkage, declining profits, or even survival crises, and consumers would also bear the pressure of soaring prices.
Additionally, the EU has always been committed to enhancing its strategic autonomy on the international stage and building an independent foreign and trade policy system. If it easily complies with the unreasonable demands of the United States, it would undoubtedly damage its image in the international community, becoming a "political puppet" of the United States, and losing its influence as an important pole in international affairs.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843933944787972/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.