Donald Trump has said his commerce secretary will be talking to the European Union about tariffs the US president argues have been unfair to America.
Mr Trump wrote on Twitter: “Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross will be speaking with representatives of the European Union about eliminating the large Tariffs and Barriers they use against the U.S.A. Not fair to our farmers and manufacturers.”
Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross will be speaking with representatives of the European Union about eliminating the large Tariffs and Barriers they use against the U.S.A. Not fair to our farmers and manufacturers.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2018
The president announced last week that the United States would impose heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminium, with some countries potentially exempted. Amid fears of a global trade war, the European Union is among those seeking exemptions
Over the weekend, Mr Trump argued that the US has been abused economically by the EU, saying they were “wonderful countries who treat the US very badly on trade”.
The EU urged Mr Trump not to head down “a dead end” road of protectionism and warned of a damaging trade war over his new steel and aluminium tariffs.
At talks in Brussels, economy ministers underlined that the EU supports free and open trade but that its 28 countries will respond if they are targeted by the US tariffs, which are set to enter force next week.
His Spanish counterpart Roman Escolano Olivares said: “Protectionism is always a political, a historical error.”
Mr Trump said last Thursday that he is slapping tariffs of 25% on imported steel and 10% on aluminium. He temporarily exempted big steel producers Canada and Mexico – provided they agree to renegotiate a North American trade deal to his satisfaction.
He said other countries could be spared the tariffs if they can convince the US government that their steel and aluminium exports do not threaten American industry.
The EU rejected Mr Trump’s argument that the tariffs are required for national security reasons. It has threatened to slap retaliatory duties on around 2.8 billion euro (£2.4 billion) worth of US steel, agricultural and other products like peanut butter and orange juice if it is not excluded from the tariff regime.
Amid uncertainty over who might be exempted, German finance minister Peter Altmaier appealed to reason, saying it is the “responsibility of everybody to keep international trade as fair and open as possible”.
