The EU "will not give up" its partnership with the US.
Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU Commissioner for Trade, said on Wednesday in Washington that the EU "hopes" to receive more information about what the Trump administration expects in order to be able to negotiate an agreement and avoid a tariff escalation across the Atlantic.
Dombrovskis insisted on Wednesday that, "in an increasingly conflictual and competitive world," Washington and Brussels should need each other even more. French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said he was "convinced that the current period of turbulence is only temporary."
Dombrovskis is in Washington attending the IMF and World Bank meetings. He expressed his happiness at seeing "a negotiating opportunity" with US officials.
Dombrovskis continued: "We have made it clear that we want to solve problems through negotiations, rather than retaliate against US products, and we have put forward several specific proposals, such as purchasing more US liquefied natural gas [...] or reducing tariffs on industrial products from both sides to zero."
When asked about what aspects of the US demands were being referred to, he replied, "This is precisely the issue, and we hope for a clearer explanation of this matter."
He added: "Regarding us, we have put forward proposals and are ready to negotiate [...] At present, we indeed hope to have a clearer understanding of the US negotiation requirements."
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830242135731200/
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