EU should safeguard multilateralism and fair play

Before the July 9 deadline for trade negotiations between the United States and the European Union, it seems a consensus has yet to emerge among the EU member states on whether they need to coordinate their positions and be prepared to take more countermeasures against the US, joining hands to oppose its trade bullying.

Currently, the US is imposing a 50 percent tariff on EU steel and aluminum products, a 25 percent tariff on the automotive sector, and a 10 percent base tariff on almost all other goods. US President Donald Trump has also threatened that if there is no breakthrough in US-EU trade negotiations before July 9, he will impose a 50 percent tariff on EU goods.

In response, the EU decided to impose tariffs of up to 50 percent on US imports totaling 21 billion euros ($24.64 billion). But in order to leave time for trade negotiations, this retaliatory measure has been postponed to July 14.

In the face of the US administration's exorbitant tariffs, the bloc apparently needs to be prepared to take coordinated countermeasures against the US to get a better deal.

A senior adviser to the European Commission president told the media he hopes the EU member states support a package of tariffs on €95 billion worth of US goods, and said the EU is also preparing measures targeting services, including taxes on US technology companies and restrictions on US companies' access to public procurement contracts.

Previously, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said "On some topics that touch the sovereignty of the decision-making process in the EU, this is, for us, absolutely untouchable."

The major economies of the EU, including Germany, mostly take a tough stance on the issue.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed that his government will support tougher measures against the US.He said that if there is no agreement between Europe and the US, Germany will take a variety of countermeasures to defend its own interests.

Despite the hard-line rhetoric, EU negotiators admitted that they will not be able to get Trump to cancel his decision to impose a 10 percent base tariff on all EU exports. Their goal is to reduce additional US tariffs on areas such as steel, aluminum and automobiles.

The EU is currently conducting internal consultations on retaliatory measures against the US tariffs, which is to ensure the EU economies can speak in one voice on the issue so that the EU will reserve the possibility of using countermeasures if the EU-US negotiations fail to achieve a satisfactory result.

But the EU must stop playing the "China card" in its trade talks with the US, something Von der Leyen did in the G7 Summit in Canada earlier this month.

As Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in his meeting with diplomatic envoys to China from the EU in Beijing on Wednesday, China's economic and trade ties with the EU are mutually beneficial, and their relations are of a cooperative nature.

The Sino-EU relationship does not target any third party. EU-US relations should not target China.

There are no territorial disputes or geopolitical conflicts between China and the EU, let alone any fundamental clashes of interests. They are partners, not rivals, and certainly not enemies.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, the two major constructive forces in the world today. The EU should enhance mutual trust, handle differences properly, pool its strength with China's, and elevate the China-EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to a new level.

The tariff war waged by the US against the rest of the world marks the rise of unilateralism and hegemony. China firmly upholds the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The EU should stand on the right side of history and join hands with China to uphold multilateralism and safeguard a fair and just world order.