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US will fail in dividing Europe scheme: Germany

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier (AFP photo)

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier has warned the United States against plans for dividing Europe, saying President Donald Trump "will not succeed" in such a mission.

Altmaier said Sunday that Washington’s imposition of tariffs on imports from Europe would prompt a united response for members of the European Union and the US would fail in its attempts to divide the bloc.

“ ... we are a customs union and act collectively. It cannot be in the interest of the US government to divide Europe, nor will it succeed,” said the German minister, who was speaking with German business daily Handelsblatt.

Trump is planning to impose tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum in a bid to respond to what he calls “unfair” trade practices. German chancellor Angela Merkel and Altmaier are expected to raise the issue in their upcoming visit to Washington.

The EU has vowed to retaliate and impose its own tariffs on imports of whiskey or motorcycles.

Altmaier said Trump’s planned tariffs could spark a trade war between the US and the EU, adding that such a scenario would harm the two sides while benefiting countries like China that stand accused of flooding global markets with cheap steel.

“Companies and consumers on both sides would foot the bill if the US and Europe tumble into a trade war,” he said, adding that China would be "laughing on the sidelines" in such circumstances.

Reports on Sunday said Merkel had spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier in the day to discuss the issue of steel overproduction. A statement from Merkel’s office said the two leaders had backed talks among the G20 group of industrialized and emerging nations to find a solution to the issue.

Altmaier said if there was an issue with the global free trade system which made Trump unhappy, the US leader should try to resolve it through negotiations.

“... we have to talk about it rather than acting unilaterally,” said the German minister.


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