Harris: Europe should work to strengthen trade links with China

Europe should work to strengthen trade with China, Tánaiste Simon Harris will tell his EU counterparts in Luxembourg on Monday.Trade ministers are holding an extraordinary meeting to work on an official response to the 20% tariffs announced by Donald Trump last week, with members at odds on how far the EU should go to retaliate.Finance minister Paschal Donohoe warned a projection the changes would cost up to 80,000 jobs in a worst-case scenario still stands, but said the country has not yet reached that situation.However, he has ruled out a covid-style wage subsidy scheme for businesses that will be impacted by the tariffs, warning that the cost of such supports “could create other difficulties”.While possible retaliatory measures are top of the agenda at the Foreign Affairs Council on Trade on Monday, EU-China relations will also be discussed, with commissioner Maros Sefcovic due to brief the gathering on his visit to Beijing in late March.Speaking ahead of the crunch meeting, Mr Harr...