EU's Tusk calls for WTO reform to stop 'conflict and chaos' of Trump's growing trade war

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EU's Tusk calls for WTO reform to stop 'conflict and chaos' of Trump's growing trade war

European Council President Donald Tusk looks on during a news conference at a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium October 20, 2017. REUTERS/Dario Pignatelli

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EU Council President Tusk looks on during a news conference at a European Union leaders summit in Brussels

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  • EU Council president Donald Tusk warned that trade wars can turn into "hot conflicts" in his opening statement at the EU-China Summit on Monday.
  • Tusk called for the EU, Russia, US and China to work together to reform the world order rather than destroy it. "There is still time to prevent conflict and chaos," he said.
  • "This is why I am calling on our Chinese hosts, but also on presidents Trump and Putin, to jointly start this process from a thorough reform of the WTO (World Trade Organization)," he added.

European Council President Donald Tusk called on US President Donald Trump to reform the world order rather than bring it down, warning that trade wars can turn into "hot conflicts."

Tusk made the remarks during his opening statement at the EU-China summit on Monday in Beijing, Bloomberg and the Guardian reported.

"We are all aware of the fact that the architecture of the world is changing before our very eyes and it is our common responsibility to make it change for the better," Tusk said.

The World Trade Organisation should be reformed rather then destroyed, he said, adding, "There is still time to prevent conflict and chaos."

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The annual talks between EU leaders, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang coincide with Trump's meeting with Putin in Helsinki, Finland and mark a time of high global tension over trade.

Tusk called for the US, Russia and China to work together to cool the dispute. "I am calling on our Chinese hosts, but also on presidents Trump and Putin, to jointly start this process from a thorough reform of the WTO (World Trade Organization)," he said.

"Today we are facing a dilemma, whether to play a tough game, such as tariff wars and conflict in places like Ukraine and Syria, or to look for common solutions based on fair rules."

On Sunday, Trump labelled the EU as one of his country's biggest "foes" calling it "very difficult." Meanwhile the Chinese economy has slowed slightly in the second quarter of 2018 from 6.8% to 6.7%, a situation that has not been helped by the trade war.

Chinese Ambassador to the EU wrote in a Chinese newspaper editorial on Sunday before the talks: "I hope during the summit China and the EU will consolidate consensus and trust… and send a joint message defending multilateralism, free trade and investment facilitation."

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