China, Europe warn trade war could trigger global recession

Bloomberg

China and the European Union vowed to oppose trade protectionism in an apparent rebuke to the US, saying unilateral actions risked pushing the world into a recession.
Vice Premier Liu He — President Xi Jinping’s top economic adviser — said China and the EU had agreed to defend the multilateral trading system, following talks on Monday in Beijing. The comments, made at a press briefing with European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen, come as both sides prepare to face off against President Trump’s tariff threats.
“Unilateralism is on the rise and trade tensions have appeared in major economies,” Liu said. “China and the EU firmly oppose trade unilateralism and protectionism and think these actions may bring recession and turbulence to the global economy.”
Both China and EU are coming under pressure from Trump, as the US president seeks to remake a global trading system that he sees as rigged against the world’s largest economy.
After months of rhetoric and threats, the trade fight seems to be coming to a head, with Europe imposing tariffs on $3.3 billion of American products in response to US barriers on imports of aluminum and steel. That triggered threats of further tariffs on European cars from Trump.
Later this week, the US Treasury Department is expected to release fresh rules on Chinese investment in technology companies, Bloomberg reported on Monday, putting additional pressure on China — which hit back against the plans. Chinese investment has provided jobs and tax income for the US, and it should view commercial activities “objectively,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing on Monday.