The European Parliament's main political groups announced on Tuesday that they would hold off on ratifying the trade agreement reached between the European Union and the U.S. because of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats over Greenland.
Under the agreement reached last July between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the U.S. would impose a baseline tariff of 15 percent on EU goods. The agreement gives Washington zero-tariff access to the EU for a range of strategic American exports.
Trump said on Saturday that, starting on Feb 1, the U.S. will impose 10-percent tariffs on all goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland because of their opposition to his plan to “take control” of Greenland.
Those tariffs would increase to 25 percent on June 1, and would continue until a deal is reached for the U.S. to purchase Greenland, he said on social media.
Greenland, the world's largest island, is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining control over defense and foreign policy. Since returning to office in 2025, Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to "obtain" Greenland.
European parliament freezes approval of US trade deal following Trump's tariff threats
European parliament freezes approval of US trade deal following Trump's tariff threats
The 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting concluded in east China's Suzhou on Saturday, yielding fruitful results and laying significant groundwork for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.
The trade ministers' meeting focused on "building an open and predictable regional and multilateral economic and trade order" and "fostering new engines of innovative and dynamic trade and investment cooperation."
Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao briefed the media on the meeting's outcomes at a press conference.
Wang said the meeting issued a joint statement titled the Suzhou Statement, and approved the latest edition of the APEC Roadmap for Innovative, Competitive and Resilient Services.
All parties agreed to advance policy innovation and reform in services trade, build an open and predictable investment environment, improve regional trade facilitation and supply chain resilience, strengthen standards coordination, and enhance intellectual property protection, Wang told the media.
He also said that substantial progress was made on a framework document for regional digital trade cooperation and the ministers emphasized promoting inclusive AI development, strengthening AI-related trade, and bridging the digital divide to ensure shared benefits from digital transformation.
The minister noted that the outcomes of the meeting demonstrated strong cooperation willingness, highlighted an innovation-oriented approach, and reflected inclusiveness and shared benefits. "The fact that Asia-Pacific economies can come together, uphold the original aspiration of promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation while supporting economic growth and prosperity, and engage in in-depth discussions on the important issue of 'where multilateral and regional economic and trade cooperation is headed,' fully demonstrates that open regionalism and true multilateralism enjoy broad support, and that mutual success and shared development serve the fundamental interests of all economies," Wang said.
2026 APEC trade ministers' meeting concludes with fruitful results
