国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Uncertainty prevails as EU, U.S. trade chiefs meet in Brussels_时事

国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Uncertainty prevails as EU, U.S. trade chiefs meet in Brussels

BRUSSELS, Sept. 9 -- Nearly one and half month after the signing of the trade truce between the European Union (EU) and the United States, the two sides finally launch their first high-profile meeting, as U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer is set to land here Monday.

Reached between European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and U.S. President Donald Trump in late July, the truce has somewhat eased trade tensions between the two sides in recent weeks, but it doesn't mean they are over.

Disagreements are already obvious.

Under the truce, the EU and U.S. agreed to discuss non-auto industrial tariffs, liquefied natural gas and soybeans, but the United States has recently suggested it could also pressure the bloc to open up more of its agriculture market to American imports -- a controversial issue in Europe.

Besides, The EU also fears that the Trump administration would raise tariffs for European cars, which would hurt several countries in Europe, including one of its driving engines, Germany.

Germany's Handelsblatt suggested in a Sunday report that "European negotiators hope to make peace in the current trade dispute with the United States by side-stepping the hard battles."

Citing EU sources, Handelsblatt said "EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom plans to stay away from sensitive issues like autos or agriculture and focus on more humdrum problems such as US beef exports and European technical standards."