Merkel slams Trump’s world view for not being based on cooperation

Germany slams Trump for his ‘winners and losers’ view of the world

Berlin, July 5: German Chancellor Angela Merkel sharply criticised US Policy under President Donald Trump on Wednesday, two days before they are due to meet at the G20summit, for being based on a “winners and losers” view of the world rather than on cooperation.

Ms Merkel will host the two-day meeting of G20 leaders that starts on Friday in Hamburg. Along with Mr Trump, others attending include Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan.

The talks are expected to be tricky as the agenda includes divisive issues such as free trade and climate change.

“As G20 president, it is my job to work on possibilities for agreement and not to contribute to a situation where a lack of communication prevails,” she told Die Zeit weekly.

However, she added that differences should not be pushed under the table.

“While we are looking at the possibilities of cooperation to benefit everyone, globalisation is seen by the US administration more as a process that is not about a win-win situation, but about winners and losers,” she said.

She said comments from a Trump security adviser that the world was an arena, not a global community, contradicted her views.

Germany wants everyone to benefit from economic progress rather than only a few, she said.

Europe must pool its energy, she said, adding that ideas of an economic government for the euro zone and of a European finance minister, put forward by new French President Emmanuel Macron, were “two important thoughts”.

Thousands of protesters are expected to march in the city this week against globalisation and what they say is corporate greed and a failure to tackle climate change.

Ms Merkel said she respected peaceful demonstrators in Hamburg but “anyone who gets violent spurns democracy”.

The police used water cannon to disperse around 500 anti-capitalist protesters overnight.

While we are looking at the possibilities of cooperation to benefit everyone, globalisation is seen by the US administration more as a process that is not about a win-win situation but about winners and losers — Angela Merkel, German Chancellor

— AP German chancellor Angela Merkel receives Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Chancellery in Berlin on Wednesday. The Chinese President is visiting Berlin ahead of the G20 summit in Hamburg.