7/25/2018

GERMANY/JAPAN/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Japan and Germany said Wednesday [7-25-18] they would step up their alliance to promote free trade and the Paris climate agreement, in a shot at the agenda pursued by the U.S. under President Donald Trump. ‘We must set boundaries against the methods of Trump,’ tweeted German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who used his first visit to Japan to advocate that the world’s third- and fourth-largest economies make common cause against what he described as global instability triggered by Mr. Trump’s tweets and Russian aggression. Mr. Maas’s comments in a speech and on Twitter highlighted the movement among U.S. allies to patch up the post-World War II policies and institutions that have been undercut by Mr. Trump, including at the Group of Seven summit in June, which ended with the president angrily rejecting a joint statement put together by the meeting’s host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau…Mr. Maas and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono issued a joint statement that didn’t mention Mr. Trump by name but listed in quick succession several of his policies that Tokyo and Berlin will work together in opposing. Messrs. Maas and Kono said they would aim to carry out the Paris agreement, from which the U.S. withdrew last year, promote free trade and seek to address issues through multilateral organizations.”

Peter Landers, “Japan and Germany Find Common Ground Opposing Trump on Trade,” The Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2018 7:48 am