Merkel hopes China-U.S. trade problems will be over soon

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that China-U.S. trade problems affect the whole world and that she hopes they will be resolved soon, Trend reports citing Reuters.

Merkel made the remarks at the start of formal talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People during a two-day trip to China.

"We hope that there will be a solution in the trade dispute with the United States since it affects everybody” in the world, Merkel told Li.

Germany’s economy contracted on weaker exports in the second quarter, and leading economists say it is facing a recession, as German firms have been caught in the crossfire of a U.S.-China trade war.

But while U.S. President Donald Trump has pressed American companies to look at ways to close their Chinese operations and make more of their products at home, Merkel wants to start a new phase in the European Union’s relations with China.

Merkel has pushed for a European investment deal with Beijing, even as Washington has resorted to waves of tariffs to counter what it says are China’s unfair trade practices. The United States’ European allies, including Germany, largely share its criticisms of China, but not Trump’s choice of tariffs to resolve the issues.