Dati: The EU insists with Trump, the USA towards the bench with China. And the bags celebrate

By our correspondent

Brussels – The European Union continues to give signs of opening to Unit StatesI to negotiate an agreement on the duties that is « balanced and fair ». And something is also moving between USA and Chinaaccording to the declarations of the Ministry of Commerce of Beijingwho said he was evaluating a United States offer for talks on duties and that Washington He « taken the initiative » to start negotiations. Enough because the markets reacted positively: Friday 2 May Frankfurt gained 2.5%, Paris 2.3%, Milan 1.92%and London 1.2%.

Beijing denies consultations

In recent days, the President of the United States Trump had repeatedly affirmed that China had tried to start talks on the duties and on Wednesday he said there were « high chances of reaching an agreement ». While the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Guo Jiakun, still yesterday 2 May denied the existence of « consultations or negotiations », inviting the United States to « do not confuse public opinion ».

The USA-EU negotiation

The Commission last Wednesday updated the Member States on the latest developments and illustrated the next possible steps, that the Commissioner for Commerce Maroš Šefcovic explained in an interview with Financial Times. The heart of the problem, claimed by Washington against Brussels, is the EU surplus in the commercial scale between the two banks of the Atlantic. But as Šefcovic reiterated « if what we consider a deficit problem is 50 billion euros, I think we really can … solve this problem very quickly through the purchase of GNL and through some agricultural products such as soybean or other sectors ». In his last meeting in Washington with the secretary of the United States Commerce Howard Lutnick and the commercial representative Jamieson Greer, commissioner Šefcovic pointed out that in the calculation of the surplus, the American exports of services to the EU that bring the overall commercial deficit with Europe to about 50 billion must also be taken into account. Maybe he breasted. «What is very important is that I think we understand each other a little better. And I think they understand a little better, « he told the City newspaper adding: » I think we have a slightly more in -depth understanding of the numbers « .

No formal offer

For now, however, there are no offers on the table, yesterday the commission spokesman with delegation to the trade, Olof Gill, clarified: «We must be very clear on this fact: at the moment no formal offer was made to the United States. So far we have discussed the areas in which, on our part, we believe we can potentially find an agreement ».

Commissioner Šefcovic has entrusted to Financial Times Also another message: the EU would not accept that Washington maintained 10% rates on its products as the outcome of the interviews. In the 90 -day truce announced by Trump, Washington lowered the so -called « mutual » duties from 20% to 10%, which the EU considers too high. The Commission will continue to prepare countermeasures to affect US products but not the services (on this the Member States are in fact divided).