Foreign media: German Chancellor Merkel warns the United States not to provoke a trade war, stating plans to discuss future cooperation with China.

According to reports from the US political news website in Europe, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao, and other media, German Chancellor Merkel warned the United States not to start a trade war and stated plans to discuss future cooperation with China, Europe, and Germany. Merkel spoke at an event in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate on the evening of the 18th, stating, "If Americans believe they should use tariffs to exert influence globally... that is certainly something Americans can decide on their own, but it is not our policy." The European edition of the political news website quoted Merkel as saying that during his upcoming visit to Washington DC next month to meet with US President Trump, he will convey the same message. Merkel also mentioned that he will discuss future cooperation with China, Europe, and Germany during his planned trip to China. The reports stated that amid the tariff war triggered during Trump's second term, Germany and its struggling automotive companies are beginning negotiations with China to address the underlying structural decline in exports to China.