Just finished talking with China, and the EU followed suit shortly after, going after the US! The EU officially announced its countermeasures! According to a report by Deutsche Welle on April 9, German media reported that just hours after China once again announced an increase in import tariffs on American goods, the EU made its first move to counter Trump's decision to impose additional tariffs on steel and aluminum products from the EU.
The EU stated that it would impose retaliatory tariffs ranging from 15% to 25% on American goods such as soybeans, motorcycles, and cosmetics. These tariffs will take effect on April 15. Clearly, this move by the EU is quite extraordinary. Before taking action, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, had spoken with us over the phone. During the call, von der Leyen expressed that the EU always attaches great importance to its relations with China, and that Trump's tariff increases have severely disrupted the international order, causing significant impacts on Europe, China, and other countries. Both China and the EU are committed to upholding a fair and free multilateral trading system centered around the WTO. Evidently, in terms of timing, it seems that China and the EU had already coordinated their actions regarding these countermeasures against the US. Both sides expressed dissatisfaction with America's tariff hike. It is clear that with Europe following closely behind China in countering the US, Trump must feel even more uneasy inside.
Although the EU's countermeasures may not match ours in strength, when China and the EU stand together, the pressure on the US is undoubtedly immense. In fact, not only does the US demand "zero-tariff" status with Europe, but it also requires the EU to commit to purchasing $350 billion worth of American energy to lift the tariffs, which is nothing short of outrageous for Europe. Now that both China and the EU have acted, if the US insists on continuing the tariff war, it will undoubtedly become even more difficult for them.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1828937431929028/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.