Trump does not see tension in the G7 over the trade war

Donald Trump said Sunday that his trade war with China does not cause tension at the top of the G7, despite the concerns expressed by several other leaders.

The US president also told Biarritz (south-west of France) that he did not intend to take any other measures against Beijing for the moment.

"I think they respect the trade war, it should be," Donald Trump told reporters before a meeting with other G7 leaders, including Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel and Shinzo Abe.

Asked about possible criticisms of his counterparts on the subject, he said: "no, not at all, I did not hear that".

In fact, many of its counterparts have expressed concerns about the negative impact of this trade conflict on the global economy and markets. Like British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who told Donald Trump he was "in favor of a commercial peace" and that he "does not like customs taxes".

Financial markets fell after the announcement of new US taxes on a total of $ 550 billion of Chinese imports, in response to a further rise in Chinese tariffs.

The US president has admitted to having some doubts about the desirability of escalating his trade war. He said he would refrain for the moment from declaring a state of national emergency that would allow him, according to him, to order American companies to leave China.

"I have the right, if I want, I could declare a state of national emergency, but I have no intention for now," he said.

Donald Trump brandished the threat of drastic measures Friday tweeting that "US companies have orders to immediately start looking for an alternative to China."

Despite his more nuanced comments Sunday, Donald Trump defended his strategy against China that he accused of "theft of intellectual property to the tune of 300 to 500 billion dollars per year." "We are losing a total of about $ 1 trillion a year, and in many ways it's an emergency," he said.

As he has been saying for months, Donald Trump has reaffirmed that China will eventually give in to US demands and change its trade relationship with the United States. "We are in discussions, they want an agreement as much as we do," he said.