Europe appears to be shifting its gaze eastward, seeking assistance from China rather than the US as leaders pursue trade agreements with the Asian giant instead of American President Donald Trump, whose stance towards the Chinese was roasted by US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
Euronews reveals that following President Trump's infamous "reciprocal tariffs" speech at the White House earlier this month, the first call made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was to China, which has promised to "fight until the end" against Trump tariffs, as the superpower levied their own tariffs in response.
The European Commission - who recently issued Trump a stark warning over his economic policies - issued an official statement saying: "In response to the widespread disruption caused by the US tariffs, President von der Leyen stressed the responsibility of Europe and China, as two of the world's largest markets, to support a strong reformed trading system, free, fair and founded on a level playing field. It comes after Trump suffered a mental collapse after a 'senile' moment last week and came up with a ludicrous way to make himself look taller.
"Beijing responded warmly, stating: "China is ready to work with the European side to promote the sound and steady development of China-EU relations."
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, a deal was being negotiated to resolve a long-standing issue in trade relations between China and Europe, as EU bosses grow increasingly eager to stimulate trade.
On Friday night, the EU Commission announced that during discussions with China, a significant concession had been agreed upon to explore solutions for the import block on Chinese-made electric vehicles, potentially through the introduction of a minimum pricing initiative
.A source informed Euronews: "The EU wants and needs to be seen as a reliable partner in the world. "In response to the widespread disruption caused by the US tariffs, President von der Leyen stressed the responsibility of Europe and China, as two of the world's largest markets, to support a strong reformed trading system, free, fair and founded on a level playing field.
Beijing reciprocated with a warm message of their own saying" "In that sense, the discussion with China is evolving because China is looking at us differently.
"I don't think the European approach towards China has changed completely, but the winds are moving."
In related news, Maros Sefcovic, the European commissioner for trade and economic security, jetted off to Washington today (Sunday) for scheduled discussions with American officials.
This diplomatic endeavor follows the announcement made by US President Trump regarding a 90-day suspension on US tariffs, coinciding with the EU's decision to halt its retaliatory measures, reports the Express.
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In an apparent reversal of his heralded tariff regime, the Trump administration revealed on Friday that electronics such as smartphones and laptops would be exempt from reciprocal tariffs targeting China.
Consequently, products manufactured by American technological behemoths like Apple, which depends on Chinese manufacturing, will escape the hefty 145% tariffs normally imposed on China.
The exemption appears to be an acknowledgment by Mr. Trump that his strategy of imposing tariffs on China is unlikely to incentivize a rapid shift of electronics manufacturing to the United States.
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