Biarritz: Group of Seven leaders have gathered in Biarritz, France, with signs of discord surfacing on issues from trade to climate. The host, French President Emmanuel Macron, is looking for common ground. A final communique is unlikely, replaced with a series of documents.
The G7 leaders all made clear to US President Donald Trump over dinner that the trade war is hurting everyone, according to a German official. Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized how important the World Trade Organization (WTO) is and insisted the US must allow it to fill key positions this year.
WTO’s appellate body, its key group for dispute resolution, risks being paralyzed unless the US lifts its veto on the appointment of new members.
Meanwhile, Trump, who announced higher tariffs on Chinese goods last week, raised eyebrows during a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the G7 when he responded in the affirmative to questions from reporters on whether he had second thoughts about the tariff move.
When Trump said he had second thoughts about escalating the trade war with China, he meant that he wished he had raised tariffs on Beijing even higher, the White House said.
The US President on Friday set an additional 5% duty on some $550 billion in targeted Chinese goods, hours after China unveiled retaliatory tariffs on $75 billion worth of US goods.
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