China, EU must work together for free trade

Contrary to US ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison’s claim prior to the meeting that “the overall theme” of the transatlantic organization’s latest summit in Brussels would be its “strength and unity,” it was the opposite that was on display; it ended up showcasing discord. In the same manner he jolted other leaders at last month’s G7 meeting in Quebec, Canada, US President Donald Trump again demonstrated the disruptive potential of his “America First” approach to international relations.

In the same manner he has been seeking to extort concessions from other allies and trading partners, including China, Trump threatened to erect trade barriers for European auto exports should the United States’ NATO allies fail to satisfy his demand for an immediate, substantial increase in military spending. To his administration, all international arrangements inconsistent with US centrism are “unfair” and thus must be renegotiated, or simply discarded.

When Chinese and European leaders meet on Monday in Beijing at the 20th China-EU Summit, they will share similar concerns and a common task — mitigate the shocks emanating from the White House, and in a broader sense, safeguard multilateralism and free trade.

China and the European Union countries may differ, at some points conspicuously, on given issues. But a shared commitment to their nascent strategic partnership has established a reliable foundation for resolving those differences. More importantly, they have a common interest in safeguarding economic globalization and free trade.

All disagreements notwithstanding, the EU and China are not in favor of confrontation with the US. But as the leaders convene to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and the 20th anniversary of the China-EU Summit, it is of particular significance they reaffirm commitment to the World Trade Organization and its rules.

If the two sides can accomplish the anticipated exchange of market access request checklists at today’s meeting, it will be a substantial step toward accomplishing a bilateral investment treaty. And the benefits will ripple far beyond the bilateral realm.

Although neither China nor the EU wants confrontation with the US, the unilateralism being pursued by the Trump administration threatens to do so much damage to the global trading regime and sow so much uncertainty that China and the EU must work together to limit the havoc being wrought by the Trump administration’s neo-Firstism.

For the perversity of that design is not that it puts the US’ interests first, it is natural that a country’s leaders should pursue their nation’s interests, but in the way they are seeking to force others to submit and be subservient to that aim.