An increasingly desperate China on Friday begged the members of the European Union (EU) to join Beijing to resist “unilateral intimidation” raised by punitive tariffs introduced by the president of the United States, Donald Trump.
The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, made the call when he with the Spanish socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez.
The State Xinhua News Agency said XI had emphasized the need for cooperation between the block and China in the growing commercial war of Beijing with Washington.
He arrived 24 hours after Australia rejected Beijing’s same plea, as Breitbart London reported.
“China and Europe should fulfill their international responsibilities … and jointly resist unilateral intimidation practices,” said XI, AFP reports.
This, he emphasized not only “safeguarding his own legitimate rights and interests, but also … safeguarding international equity and justice.”
The AFP report indicates that Sánchez, in turn, said at a press conference after his meeting with XI that tensions on trade should not prevent cooperation between the European Union and China.
Spain buys around 45 billion euros ($ 49.1 billion) or goods every year from China, its largest fourth commercial partner, but sells around 7.4 billion euros.
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“Both Spain and Europe have a trade deficit significantly with China that we must work to rectify,” Hey admitted.
But, he said, “we must not let commercial tensions stand in the path of the potential growth of the relationship between China and Spain and between China and the EU.”
