Any beggar-thy-partner deals will only compound harm done by US' shock and awe assault on trade

The tantamount tariff terrorism of the United States has given the rest of the world the opportunity to rethink its trade relationships. After slapping the world with wide-ranging punitive tariffs and then pausing some tariffs for 90 days, the US administration has escalated its de facto trade terror tactics by seeking to use the tariffs as leverage to get its trade partners to cut their trade ties with China if they want relief from the US pressure.

According to reports, the administration is aiming to use its tariff talks with more than 70 economies to try and force them to limit their trade with China, among them the European Union, which is China's second-largest trading partner, and vice versa.

This is not the first time the EU has found itself the target of the US' unlawful use of militancy and intimidation in pursuit of Washington's political aims. The US has already forced the EU to squeeze out Huawei and other Chinese tech companies from its 5G networks and major EU companies such as ASML have been strong-armed into restricting their trade with China.