Japan, EU Express Concerns about U.S. Auto Tariffs

June 1, 2018

Paris- Japan and the European Union expressed Thursday strong concerns about a U.S. decision to consider imposing tariffs on auto and auto parts imports.

Such tariffs "would have a major restrictive impact affecting a very substantial part of global trade," Japanese trade minister Hiroshige Seko and European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said in a joint statement.

"This would cause serious turmoil in the global market and could lead to the demise of the multilateral trading system" based on World Trade Organization rules, they said.

Seko and Malmstroem issued the joint statement after a three-way meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in Paris.

The Japanese and EU ministers also expressed concerns about U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, saying they are "not justified under national security grounds."

The two said they "confirmed their intention to cooperate closely in discussing these concerns with the United States and call on other like-minded countries to join their efforts."

During the meeting, Seko reiterated his country's demand for an exemption from the U.S. metals tariffs. Jiji Press