[By Guancha Observer Network, Ruan Jiaqi]

Local time on June 9th to 10th, the first meeting of the Sino-US economic and trade consultation mechanism was held in London, UK. Both sides reached a principled consensus on the framework of measures to implement the important consensus of the telephone conversation between the heads of state of the two countries on June 5th and consolidate the results of the Geneva economic and trade talks, making new progress in addressing each other's economic and trade concerns.

According to Reuters, Agence France-Presse and others on the 11th, at a press conference held in Berlin with Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen on Wednesday, German Chancellor Merz stated that Germany welcomed the progress made in the trade negotiations between China and the United States. At the same time, he hoped that negotiations between the EU and the United States could also make progress in a similar manner.

Merz said, "I clearly welcome this, and I very much hope that we can also successfully reduce our trade conflicts with the United States, and if possible, even completely eliminate these conflicts."

In response to whether he was worried that this would come "at the expense of European and German interests," Merz emphasized, "I clearly welcome this. I do not think that the agreement between China and the United States comes at the expense of Europe. On the contrary, it is another conflict that has been resolved."

According to reports from Turkey's Anadolu Agency (AA), Merz also reiterated his proposal for the EU and the United States to reach a free trade agreement and eliminate all trade tariffs.

"Personally and as a whole federal government, we firmly believe that open markets, free trade, and access to raw materials and resources are the best solutions that benefit all parties involved, which is important for everyone, and we want to contribute to this," he reiterated. "Therefore, I am pleased that an agreement has been reached between China and the United States, and I look forward eagerly to reaching an appropriate agreement with the United States as well."

On local time on the 11th, German Chancellor Merz held a joint press conference with visiting Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen. Screen capture from the official website of the German Chancellor.

As the largest economy in Europe, Germany hopes to reduce tariffs on goods exported to the United States and ease tensions with the White House. Before visiting the United States, Merz had strongly stated that the EU needs to protect its interests and pointed out that the EU has a surplus in service trade with the United States. If the trade conflict between the EU and the Trump administration escalates, the EU may retaliate against American tech companies.

A week ago (June 5th), Merz visited the United States for the first time since taking office. In the Oval Office of the White House, he met with U.S. President Trump for 40 minutes. They communicated on issues such as Ukraine, tariff issues, and economic relations between the two countries.

In the meeting that the U.S. side temporarily changed to be publicly conducted, Merz said that Germany is the third-largest foreign direct investment country for the United States, reminding the U.S. side to avoid escalating trade friction. Merz emphasized that mutual tariff increases would have adverse effects on both economies, hoping that both sides could resolve differences through dialogue and promote fair and mutually beneficial trade arrangements.

Hours after concluding his visit to the United States, Merz also stated at an event in Berlin that he would push for an agreement between Europe and the United States. According to this agreement, cars from the United States could enter the European market tax-free, in exchange for tariff exemptions for the same number of cars exported to the United States.

However, with less than two months until the July 9th deadline for the so-called "reciprocal tariff" suspension, EU-U.S. tariff trade negotiations remain deadlocked.

Although the pace of negotiations last week accelerated significantly, insiders revealed that the EU still believes that trade negotiations with the United States may exceed the deadline.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Lutnik said on Wednesday that the EU might be one of the last economies to reach an agreement.

Lutnik said that before Trump issued an "ultimatum," threatening a 50% tariff on Europe, "Europe was more than just difficult," but then "they suddenly became serious and put forward a decent proposal."

According to reports by Politico and others, U.S. Treasury Secretary Beasant said on Capitol Hill on June 11th that Trump "is very likely" to delay the deadline for reaching agreements with major trading partners.

Beasant said at a hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee of Congress that there are currently 18 major partners negotiating trade deals with the United States. He added that the Trump administration is willing to extend deadlines for those who negotiate in good faith.

On June 5th local time, Trump met with German Chancellor Merz at the White House. Video screenshot from U.S. media.

According to comprehensive German media reports, at the press conference in Berlin on the 11th, as NATO allies, Germany and Denmark were also asked about the issue of Greenland and the situation of the riots in Los Angeles, California.

In response to questions about Trump's demand to "purchase" Greenland, Merz emphasized that Germany supports international law and the position of Denmark, and that Denmark has rejected the request from the Trump administration regarding this issue.

Merz said, "The principle of inviolability of borders is at the core of international law and is non-negotiable... On these issues, we stand firmly with our Danish friends, and this will not change."

Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen thanked the EU and allies for their support and reiterated that "the future of Greenland is in the hands of the people of Greenland." She also said, "President Trump was serious when he talked about the issue of Greenland, and I must say that we are too."

Regarding the riots in Los Angeles, California, triggered by the issue of illegal immigration, Merz politely declined to comment, saying that the TV footage of the riots was "disturbing," but he did not want to evaluate or judge domestic U.S. political events from a German perspective.

"I hope the problems can be resolved quickly, and these disputes can also end quickly," he added.

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

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7514892986028491275/

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