French President Emmanuel Macron allegedly suggested that both the US and EU show a united front during negotiations about a trade deal with China amid an ongoing row over tariffs and trade deficit but Donald Trump decided not to cooperate, fearing Europe would rob Washington of benefits, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The US president has kept European allies at bay while negotiating a trade agreement with China that is poised to end an ongoing tariff row to stop them from benefiting from what he calls “my deal”, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing European officials from several countries.
The sources told the outlet that French President Emmanuel Macron had suggested the US and EU unite forces to negotiate the trade deal with China when he visited the White House in April 2018 after Donald Trump had introduced higher aluminium and steel tariffs. Trump rejected Macron’s idea but reportedly promised to update Paris on the results of the US-China talks.
However, as The Wall Street Journal reports, he did not keep his promise, holding back the content of the draft agreement with Beijing. The outlet points out, citing European officials that Trump’s approach might contrast with what they hear from members of his administration.
The WSJ also emphasises that the leading EU economies are following the course of the talks to ensure their result complies with the rules of the World Trade Organisation, including a ban on any member state to grant another member tariff cuts without running them by a selected number of WTO countries.