The huge deal was signed as President Donald Trump unsettles allies and provokes rivals with his aggressive "America First" trade policy |
The EU and Japan signed a sweeping free trade deal Tuesday that officials called a "clear message" against protectionism, as Washington imposes controversial tariffs and threatens a trade war.
The deal
signed in Tokyo by the EU's top officials and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
is the biggest ever negotiated by the EU and creates a free trade zone covering
nearly a third of the world's GDP.
"We
are sending a clear message that we stand together against protectionism,"
EU Council President Donald Tusk said.
"Together
we are making -- by signing this agreement -- a statement about free and fair
trade, we are showing that we are stronger and better off when we work
together," added Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker.
The huge
deal was signed as President Donald Trump unsettles allies and provokes rivals
with his aggressive "America First" trade policy.
Both the EU
and Japan have been hit with new US tariffs despite their longstanding
alliances with Washington.
Juncker
said the deal sent a message that "trade is about more than tariffs and
barriers, it is about values".
"There
is no protection in protectionism," he said.
Abe,
standing alongside the two EU officials, said the agreement, "shows the
world the unshaken political will of Japan and the EU to lead the world as the
champions of free trade at a time when protectionism has spread".
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