EU says no intent to decouple from China

Europe won't yield to terms for trade as Washington, Brussels engage in talks

The European Union will not decouple from the Chinese economy as a condition for reaching a trade deal with the US government as Brussels and Washington engage in trade talks, according to the European Commission.

The Wall Street Journal reported recently that the US intends to use its tariff talks with more than 70 countries to limit their trade with China. The Irish Times reported that the US will seek to force the EU to choose between the US and China based on a government briefing following a trip to the US by Simon Harris, Ireland's minister for defense, foreign affairs and trade.

European Commission deputy chief spokesperson Arianna Podesta said she would not speculate on what the requests by the US side are.