Germany suggests new EU trade talks with U.S. after elections

FILE PHOTO: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, leader of Germany’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) attends a party leadership meeting in Berlin, Germany, September 14, 2020. Michael Kappeler/POOL via REUTERS

BERLIN (Reuters) – The European Union should try again to reach a trade agreement with Washington after the U.S. election, German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said on Friday.

Both sides were faced with the same challenges in their relations to China, said Kramp-Karrenbauer, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“China’s aggressive state capitalism, its handling of currency issues, the question of whether we have a level playing field accessing each other’s market, the protection of intellectual property, the unity of state and party,” Kramp-Karrenbauer said.

Reporting by Sabine Siebold; editing by Thomas Seythal

source: reuters.com