, Columnist
Trump's Trade War Pushes Europe Toward China
The president could fast consume the reserves of soft power which America has built.
Sparks are flying.
Photograph: AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The trade fight between the U.S. and China is posing a dilemma to the European Union: Should the world's largest trading bloc pick a side? And, if so, which one?
In theory, the U.S. is the more natural ally for Europe: The two have cooperated closely since the end of World War II, building the multilateral institutions which are now under threat. And yet, Donald Trump's slipshod approach to trade diplomacy risks pushing the EU into the arms of China. The EU's main strategic interest in this fight is to ensure that the multilateral trading framework -- including the World Trade Organization -- survives. At the moment, this concern is most shared by Beijing, not Washington.