Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued a staunch joint defence of free trade on Sunday, as the United States pushes towards greater protectionism. That's what free trade is about," she said. "At a time when we are arguing a lot over free trade, open borders and democratic values, it's a good sign that Japan and Germany are not arguing" over trade, she said. At a fraught G20 meeting in the German spa town of Baden-Baden on Saturday, the US challenged long-standing global principles surrounding free trade, refusing to renew past anti-protectionist pledges and threatening to reopen negotiations on World Trade Organization deals. Since taking office, Trump has withdrawn the US from a trans-Pacific free trade pact and attacked export giants China and Germany over their massive trade surpluses.

Source: The Local March 19, 2017 21:56 UTC