China PM in Europe to bolster ties amid trade war with US

Beijing tries to boost trade with EU countries after Washington imposed tariffs worth $34bn on Chinese goods.

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang is visiting Europe in an effort to bolster ties and put on a united front with EU leaders in the wake of a tit-for-tat trade war that has broken out between the US and China.

On Friday, Washington imposed tariffs of $34bn on Chinese goods. Beijing quickly responded with countermeasures.

But as US President Donald Trump threatened even more tariffs, Li headed to Bulgaria for a trade summit where he discussed China’s lowering import trade tariffs with Central and Eastern European leaders.

Li is now in Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel before a summit with European leaders that he will host in Beijing next week. Both the German chancellor and the Chinese prime minister stand opposed to the new tariffs in the US.

Al Jazeera’s Dominic Kane reports from Berlin, Germany’s capital.