Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Merkel defends her trade surplus as trade war looms
German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended the country’s trade surplus Saturday, saying the government is working to encourage domestic demand but that not all factors are under its control.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has been critical of Germany’s trade surplus. Merkel’s comments in her weekly podcast came as Economy Minister Peter Altmaier was getting ready to head off Sunday to Washington for talks as a possible trade war looms between Europe and the U.S.
Merkel said domestic demand has been growing, helping narrow the German trade surplus to $301.1 billion in 2017 from a record $306 billion the previous year.