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Trump, tariffs, and the prospects of an EU-Asia trade coalition

Representatives at the European Union (EU)-China summit in 2012.
Europe is starting to look east in response to Trump’s aggressive trade policies. Photo: How Hwee Young – Pool/Getty Images

Is Donald Trump’s tariffs policy paving the way for the emergence of a new trade coalition between the EU and Asia? We take a look at the prospects and the challenges.

Uncertainty has been the only constant in the global trading order during the first half of 2025, with countries and jurisdictions trying hard to negotiate and finalize last-minute deals with the current US administration before deadlines that are, so far, constantly changing.

President Donald Trump has, unapologetically, used tariffs, or the