Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever said in a hearing before federal deputies that China finds interest in the continuation of the war in Ukraine, and that the EU is better off concluding a trade agreement with the US instead of entering into a trade war, BTA reported.
According to De Wever, quoted by local media, China does not support a military victory for Russia in Ukraine, but benefits from importing cheap Russian energy, the price of which has fallen due to the war and the subsequent sanctions against Moscow. The media noted that De Wever made these comments after a meeting in Brussels with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week.
According to the Belgian prime minister, his country would be one of the first to feel the impact of a trade war between the EU and the US. According to him, it is better to reach even just some "mediocre" trade agreement with Washington.
As BTA reported, the European Commission yesterday expressed its expectation of reaching a trade agreement in principle with the US in the coming days. An EC spokesperson noted that the new deadline is August 1 and expressed confidence that the ongoing negotiations will be concluded well before then.