Reading how the European officials express themselves after the Trump rampage in Brussels and Sicily, I come to the conclusion I have been quite moderate in recent months. The readers and lurkers have been warned about the potentials of the Brexit vote and the candidacy of two most impopular presidential candidates in the 2016 race for the White House.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Gabriel slams Trump for ‘lecturing’ | DW |
Following Chancellor Merkel’s remarks, the foreign minister stepped up the rhetoric: The West has become “weaker” due to the “shortsighted” policies of the US, and President Trump was abandoning Western values, he said.
The minister unleashed a barrage of criticism against Trump’s administration, following widely publicized remarks by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
>>>>> Merkel makes waves with views on EU-US relations.
Gabriel spoke of the US “dropping out as an important nation.” “That’s unfortunately a signal for a change in the world’s balance of power,” he said.
Gabriel also criticized the Trump administration for selling weapons to Saudi Arabia, its refugee policy, and its lack of commitment to fight climate change. Gabriel, who also serves as Germany’s vice chancellor, said that “anyone who accelerates climate change by weakening environmental protection, who sells more weapons in conflict zones and who does not want to politically resolve religious conflicts is putting peace in Europe at risk.”
“The short-sighted policies of the American government stand against the interests of the European Union,” he said at the refugee conference, adding that the West “became weaker.”
Gabriel’s center-left SPD party is a partner to Angela Merkel’s CDU in Germany’s current ruling coalition, but the two groups are also set for a showdown in general elections in September. The growing rift between Berlin and Washington under Trump marks a sharp contrast in comparison to mostly close relations under former president Barack Obama.
Modi’s Berlin visit seen as signalling Asian pivot for Merkel
Merkel calls on Europe to be Global Player …
Indian PM Modi tells Merkel India and Germany ‘made for one another’ | DW |
German Chancellor Angela Merkel again emphasized the need for Europe to take a more proactive role in international politics.
She made her remarks during a press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Berlin on Tuesday, two days after her controversial statement questioning the future of the transatlantic alliance.
Merkel and Modi met as part of the fourth edition of the two countries’ biennial Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC) on trade, investment and strategic relations.
Ahead of the meetings, the two leaders attended a press conference where they signed agreements covering everything from cybercrime to railway safety to an annual one billion euros ($1.1 billion) in German development aid for India, particularly in the area of sustainable urban development.
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Afterwards, Merkel and Modi, both of whom seemed very relaxed as they chatted with one another during the signing ceremonies, offered their thoughts on German-Indian relations.
India and Germany ‘made for one another’
According to differing estimates, Germany did between 17 and almost 20 billion euros in trade with India in 2016, with Germany enjoying a 0.3 percent trade surplus. Germany is India’s biggest trading partner within the EU.
With more than 1.3 billion inhabitants, India is the second most populous nation in the world, and its economy is projected to grow by 7.4 percent this year, making the business opportunities there enormous. Both sides would like to see closer German-Indian cooperation.
In particular, Modi wants to increase the proportion of industrial production in the Indian GDP to 25 percent by 2025. German companies currently invest between 9 and nearly 13 billion euros in India, but the Indian prime minister would like to see far more German money coming to his country.
“We’ve made a quantum leap here economically,” Modi said. “German industry plays a very important role in India’s development. Investments from Germany are being supported. In the future we’ll be concentrating on middle-class investments.”
Modi said that India wanted to work together with German industry to develop the country’s infrastructure, and he specifically highlighted the importance of the “smart cities” program.
More below the fold …
Trump’s tweet tirade against Germany could backfire on US | CNBC |
President Donald Trump’s recent comments and angry tweets about Germany’s “unfair” trade practices could leave the U.S. as the odd man out in the global economy.
Fresh from a meeting in Brussels with the leaders of the Group of Seven largest economies, Trump fired yet another tweet salvo at a longtime U.S. ally, sharply attacking Germany’s trade and spending policies.
“We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change,” the president said.
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Trump’s Twitter tantrum with Germany, and his protectionist stance last week with European leaders, carries larger risks than simply misunderstanding the economics of global trade, according to Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics.“President Trump effectively disavowed the United States’ role as the leader of world trade and globalization,” he said in a note to clients.
Weinberg cautioned that Trump’s scolding of European leaders will only prompt those countries to forge closer ties with China, whose leaders have made clear they are happy to fill any economic void created by the United States’ move toward more isolationist policies.
