EU leader claims Trump is 'right' when it comes to criticizing China over trade

European Union (EU) Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday signaled support for President Donald Trump over his stance against China when it comes to trade, stating the U.S. leader was "right" to criticize the country. 

The United States and China are currently engaged in trade talks as the two countries battle each other over high tariffs. The comment at the G-7 summit in Canada was a direct response to China's restrictions on raw material exports needed for cars, batteries and wind turbines.

The comment occurred during a roundtable discussion on the global economy, where von der Leyen slammed China for disrupting global trade by imposing the tariffs internationally instead of solely on the United States. 

“When we focus our attention on tariffs between partners, it diverts our energy from the real challenge — one that threatens us all,” von der Leyen said. “On this point, Donald is right — there is a serious problem."

The EU chief then urged Trump to stop punishing U.S. allies with tariffs and join them in focusing on curbing China, per Politico.

The exchange comes as the U.S. and the EU work to secure a trade deal that would avoid tariffs, but so far the U.S. has only reached a legitimate trade deal with the United Kingdom. A deal with China still needs to be approved by its leader.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.