BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has warned that he will impose 'serious tariffs' on European Union and cut trade over the bloc's offer to give Canada associate membership.
When reporters sought his comments on the EU move, Trump replied, 'If I think it's at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe.'
He added: 'If it's a good intention, that's fine. If it's a bad intention, we'll put very heavy tariffs on Europe.'
The prospect of Canada becoming an EU associate member is 'laughable', according to Trump.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen put forward the proposal to make Canada an associate member of the EU whle delivering State of The Union address in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
'In this new world we must urgently reimagine our partnerships and build global coalitions for our resilience and democracies. I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the European Union,' Ursula von der Leyen told Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as he was listening to her major annual speech.
'In short, we want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible,' she added.
The head of the executive arm of the European Union insisted that 'this is not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength.'
In an apparent reference to Trump's often repeated suggestion to make Canada the 51st U.S. state, the European Commission President said, 'We believe that power does not belong to the strongest, the richest or the loudest - but to all of us. That democracies have the freedom to choose with whom to work'.
Before flying to Strasburg, Carney had made his intentions claer by saying that Canada is seeking 'a unique alliance with the European Union.'
On Thursday, he is set to make a speech at the European Parliament.
It will be followed by an EU-Canada summit in the Canadian city of Montreal next month.
The Canadian leader's close interaction with Europe comes at a time US-Canada trade war intensifies.
Within hours of Canada's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods took effect on September 8, the Trump administration banned the import of Canadian alcoholic spirits, dairy products and motorbikes.
The import bans will take effect on September 29.
President Donald Trump signed five Proclamations pursuant to Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to ban certain products from Canada and modify the scope of the tariffs on certain Canadian products previously announced on July 20.
Trump said the measures were announced to respond to Canada's additional retaliation and continued discriminatory treatment of crucial American exports.
After breaking off trade talks with the United States last month, Canada had imposed new retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of U.S. exports, including steel, dairy, and agricultural equipment.
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