“The decisions of the new US administration pose a serious risk to the world trade order,” Sapin said at the opening of a conference organized by France’s General Directorate of the Treasury.
He added that it was China who positioned itself as a “defender of free trade” on the international scene against “US downturn.”
Sapin stressed that the European Union should in its turn defend its vision of an "open and fair" trade policy through the European institutions.
Following Trump’s inauguration, the United States presidential administration has adopted America First Trade Policy, which focuses on bringing jobs and investments to the country. On January 23, the US president signed an executive order withdrawing the United States from Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade treaty, and promised to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
