Within 48 hours, Trump's attitude changed again. He postponed the implementation of the 50% tariff on the EU, which might be both due to Ursula von der Leyen proactively offering a way out and perhaps because after Germany and France contacted Beijing, Trump sensed a crisis.

According to the Observer Network, on May 25th local time, Trump overturned his previous tariff ultimatum against the EU on his social media account, agreeing to delay the threat of imposing a 50% tariff on the EU and extending the deadline for U.S.-EU trade negotiations to July 9th.

It should be noted that just two days ago, Trump had expressed strong "discontent" with the EU, claiming that the EU has been taking advantage of the United States and showed no sincerity in negotiations. He threatened to impose a 50% tariff on EU imports starting June 1st.

However, it is not surprising that Trump has made such a drastic change, as his unpredictable behavior is nothing new. But why did he suddenly "change his mind"?

The turning point came from a statement by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. She actively conveyed positive messages to the U.S., stating that the EU was prepared to "quickly and decisively" advance trade talks with the U.S. and requested returning to the original 90-day negotiation period.

She also revealed that she had a "pleasant conversation" with Trump, and according to the Financial Times, this call was initiated by her.

From this, it can be seen that after Trump confronted the EU, Von der Leyen became restless. During the call, she expressed that the EU would act swiftly to see if they could resolve their issues. This series of statements clearly demonstrated the EU's sincerity in seeking continued negotiations and compromise.

Trump has always excelled at using the "maximum pressure" negotiation tactic. This time, it worked on the EU as well. His sudden proposal to impose high tariffs on the EU undoubtedly brought immense pressure to the EU.

Meanwhile, the EU Trade Commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, stated that the EU was fully engaged in trade talks with the U.S. but was also prepared to defend its own interests. This indicates that the EU neither wanted to easily submit nor wanted to completely worsen relations.

Notably, according to知情 sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, Trump's economic team was increasingly dissatisfied with Europe on issues like taxation, regulation, and China policy, involving China once more.

In terms of China policy, the U.S. wants the EU to cooperate in increasing trade pressure on China and obtain commitments from the EU to impose new tariffs on Chinese industries. However, so far, they have not achieved their goal.

Looking at this, it is not just Von der Leyen's proactive call to Trump that led to his change in attitude; there are also reasons related to the recent close exchanges between China and the EU. Von der Leyen can be seen as proactively offering Trump a way out.

Recently, the leaders of Germany and France have proactively contacted China, expressing their desire to strengthen cooperation. On one hand, they hope to expand cooperation with China to counterbalance the tariff pressure from the U.S.; on the other hand, they may also want to use this to increase their leverage in negotiations with the U.S.

From here, it can be seen that the EU's current situation is very delicate. It wants to play both sides between China and the U.S., neither wanting to take strong countermeasures against the U.S. and offend this powerful ally nor wanting to unconditionally submit to the U.S., losing its own interests.

Regarding China, the EU has a rather contradictory attitude. While it wants to engage in economic and trade cooperation with China to gain benefits, it is influenced by the U.S. and traditional ideology, unwilling to truly align with China.

At present, the EU's main strategy seems to be buying time, hoping to use this time to slowly find solutions to problems without escalating conflicts or wait for changes in the situation that are more favorable to them.

However, how long the EU's indecisive attitude can last and whether it will ultimately be able to protect its own interests in the U.S.-EU trade negotiations remains to be seen, as Trump's patience is running out. Although he can currently delay the tariff threat on the EU, he can also quickly reverse his decision at any moment.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7508586678462825012/

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