Europe is prepared to fight back against economic protectionism by the Donald Trump administration with policies akin to those used to combat Chinese anti-competitive practices, according to France’s industry minister.
Christophe Sirugue said Europe cannot be simply a “spectator” if Mr Trump follows through on his campaign promises, which include plans to tear up global trade deals and impose punitive tariffs and higher barriers to trade.
“If he adopts the protectionism that he promised during the campaign, Europe would need to react to that . . . [We would need to] invent tools to react,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times.