EU and China: We Will Retaliate if the US Imposes Tariffs

Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on metals such as steel and aluminum has faced strong reactions from China and the European Union. The Chinese Foreign Minister has warned that there will be a 'proportionate response' to such actions, and the EU has also warned of reciprocal measures. Mr. Trump, who promised during his election campaign to change the US trade balance with other countries and rebuild the steel and aluminum industries, recently announced his decision to impose a 25% tariff on steel imports and a 10% tariff on aluminum imports. The order related to these tariffs was supposed to be signed by Donald Trump on Thursday, March 8, but Sarah Sanders, the White House spokesperson, announced that due to the absence of documents, the signing might be postponed to Friday. However, Ms. Sanders stated that 'for national security reasons,' exemptions for Mexico and Canada and possibly some other countries would be considered in the new tariffs. The exemptions for Canada and Mexico will last for 30 days to allow for the resolution of disputes between the US and those two countries regarding NAFTA during this period. Nevertheless, officials from China and the EU expressed hope on Thursday that a 'trade war' could be avoided while criticizing the new decision of the US government. Pierre Moscovici, the European Commissioner for Economic Affairs, emphasized that 'if Trump implements these measures, we have everything in our arsenal to respond.' He stated that the EU's countermeasures could include oranges, tobacco, and bourbon whiskey. The European Commission has requested that all 28 EU member states be exempt from the new US tariffs. The European Commissioner for Economic Affairs, speaking to BFM TV, also pointed out that 'we want Congress to understand that this is a lose-lose game,' stating that the EU is considering imposing tariffs on certain products that are mainly under the control of the Republicans in the US. Another EU official has also warned the US in this regard. According to the German news agency, Jyrki Katainen, the Vice President of the European Commission, emphasized that 'there is still an opportunity to prevent damage' and warned that the actions of the US government and subsequent retaliatory measures from Europe could lead to unemployment for 'hundreds of thousands of people in the United States.' On the other hand, Chinese officials have also strongly criticized the new decision of the US President. Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Minister, warned on Thursday that if these tariffs are imposed, 'China will provide a necessary and appropriate response.' The Chinese Foreign Minister also stressed that 'choosing a trade war is a wrong choice and will only result in damage.' Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized imports that have caused 'unemployment' for American workers during his election campaign and over the past year, consistently emphasizing his campaign slogan 'America First.' On Wednesday, Mr. Trump tweeted: 'Since the first Bush administration, our country has lost more than 55,000 factories and six million manufacturing jobs, and its trade deficit has exceeded $12 trillion. Last year we had an $800 billion budget deficit. Bad policies and leadership; we must win again.'