China called EU to act against US protectionism

The Chinese flag(L) is draped beside the European Union (EU) during an EU- China Summit at the European Union Commission headquarters in Brussels on June 29, 2015. AFP PHOTO / Thierry Charlier (Photo credit should read THIERRY CHARLIER/AFP/Getty Images)

Vastavam web: China today called on the European Union to take a joint stand against US protectionism as the tit-for-tat trade rift between Washington and Beijing threatened to entangle Europe.The call to Brussels came as US President Donald Trump warned that he could slap another USD 100 billion (86 billion euros) of extra tariffs on Chinas imports, fanning fresh fears of a global trade war.”This is a joint responsibility of China and the EU. We must act together to make that happen,” Zhang said.

In his statement, Zhang firmly defended multilateralism and said “the United States turns its back on these globally recognised rules and its own commitment.” These “protectionist moves under the pretext of national security will undermine the credibility of the WTO-centred multilateral trade system, and the rules-based global trade order,” he added.The EU is caught in its own trade drama with the US, under a threat of crippling steel and aluminium tariffs by Washington.

Trump last month authorised the suspension of those fresh tariffs, but only gave the EU until May 1 to come up with a solution to unfair trade practices alleged by the US leader.The EU has so far reacted cautiously to the US measures against China despite sharing many of the same grievances against Beijing as Washington.