European Union hit by tariffs and other trade issues in 2025–making new alliances is its plan

Port of Hamburg Eurogate and Burchardkai container terminals 
(Photo by Carsten Steger via Wikipedia)

COGwriter

EuroNews posted the following:

In 2025, global trade cracked as Europe hurt by US tariffs and new China shock

29 December 2025

Hit by US tariffs and Chinese weaponisation of critical goods, the EU became squeezed by the aggressive trade agenda of the world’s two largest economies. Brussels now ponders new alliances and new markets.

In 2025, the first shock came from Washington. But it wasn’t the only one.

The world’s largest economy abruptly turned inward, rolling out a nationalist trade agenda and sweeping tariffs on partners worldwide.

Trade flows were forced to reroute – many of them towards Europe. At the same time, as tensions between the US and China escalated, Beijing began weaponising global dependence on rare earths, which are essential for Europe’s tech sector. …

With Donald Trump’s return to office, the White House launched its most aggressive trade offensive in a century, exposing the EU to higher tariffs just as China upped the pressure by restricting the exports of critical minerals needed to make everything, from planes to washing machines.

Walking a tightrope, the EU looked to Latin America, the Middle East and Africa to bolster new export markets – not without complications. …

Germany’s Sabine Weyand, acknowledged … “(The trade deal) created a basis for engagement between the EU and the US on a lot of other issues,” she said. “We will have to see how far that will carry us, but at least we have another basis of engagement with the administration which wasn’t there before,” Weyand said.

She also warned Europe is “paying the price for the fact we ignored the wake-up call we got during the first Trump administration – and went back to sleep. And I hope that this is not what we are doing now,” referring to EU’s dependence on the US security umbrella. …

As a result, the EU doubled down on efforts to diversify trade ties too. It struck deals with Mexico, Indonesia, Singapore and revived talks with India, even if it failed to ink a deal before 2025 as it hoped for.

The EU also struggled to seal the Mercosur agreement after 25 years of negotiation with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Italy and France pushed the signature to 2026, while a vote on safeguards meant to protect EU farmers fearing unfair competition from Latin American countries was also deferred to 2026. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/12/29/in-2025-global-trade-cracked-as-europe-hurt-by-us-tariffs-and-new-china-shock

In 2025, Europe increased trade with Asia:

Robust Asia, Europe trade drives up Hamburg’s container volumes

The Port of Hamburg Monday reported an 8.4% increase in container volume from January through September as booming Asian imports and intra-Europe shipments brushed off a sharp tariff-hit drop in trade with the US.

Europe’s third-largest container port handled 6.3 million TEUs in the first nine months of 2025, with Asian trade rising 11% year over year and trade with Europe up 14%, according to a Port of Hamburg statement. In the same period, container traffic with the US was “affected by complications in trade,” the German hub said, reflected by volumes that declined 23.9% to 395,000 TEUs. 11/17/25 https://www.joc.com/article/robust-asia-europe-trade-drives-up-hamburgs-container-volumes-6118183

India-EU Trade Deal Could Be Win-Win …

EU Trade Pivot Could Ease US Tariff Pain

As the India-US trade deal hangs fire, New Delhi’s negotiations with the European Union may ultimately deliver a bigger lift — boosting exports, deepening India’s role in global supply chains and cementing ties with the West.

The talks have regained momentum, as both sides look to reduce exposure to China and hedge against an unpredictable US. The year-end deadline is ambitious, but a deal by early next year is within reach.

The EU is India’s second-largest export market, just behind the US, with relatively low average tariffs of around 5%. But the challenge for Indian exporters is the non-tariff barriers — from technical standards to environmental and sustainability rules.

A free trade agreement would make India’s exports more competitive, especially as rivals like Vietnam and Bangladesh enjoy preferential tariffs in the EU. And Brussels could claw back market share lost to countries such as South Korea and Japan, which already have trade deals with India. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-19/russian-oil-deadline-looms-india-eu-trade-deal-could-be-win-win

Yes, despite being hurt by the Trump administration, the EU is making trade moves away from the USA.

Regarding trade, now notice something from my free eBook titled Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?:

Trade …

The morning after his reelection, I wrote:

 … Europe will get more serious about trade deals with others internationally, such as being more motivated to approve the trade deal with the Mercosur block of South America. …

One of the unintended consequences of Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs and other trade matters is that it is motivating nations he has threatened to look to trade more with each other.

Europe will get more serious about trade deals with others internationally …

• Pushing tariffs and other policies that foreign nations do not like is contributing to other nations looking to bypass the USA dollar, as well as trade more with each other and less with the USA. This will further push various globalist’s moves forward without the USA. This is also helping set the stage for the coming European Babylonian Beast to dominate international trade.

Such moves are happening in Europe.

Notice also number 8 of my 25 items to prophetically watch in 2025:

8. Trade

Not all warfare is militaristic. There is also economic warfare.

This often involves trade. …

Donald Trump’s reelection is a major concern for Europe and its trade.

In 2018, I wrote:

The Europeans have been working with Latin America, China, Russia’s Eurasian Union, and other areas of the world to try to set up its dominance of world trade as well as standards for world trade. (19 items to prophetically watch in 2019)

Such deals have been happening. But expect more concrete action, at least partially because of the reelection of Donald Trump, along with J.D. Vance.

Europe will reach out to various ones in Asia and Africa, as well as Latin America. In the next several years, deals and more trade will occur with Africa, Asia, and Latin America. …

The Europeans will work with many nations to secure stronger trade agreements.

The Europeans are working with many nations to secure stronger trade deals.

Things will not turn out as Donald Trump hopes (cf. Daniel 11:39).

Related to future trade, we put together the following video:

14:49

Trade Wars – and the Winner will be …

US President Trump imposed tariffs on a global scale. Those tariffs were imposed on friend and foe alike. It seems as if President Trump is no respecter of nations. But how will this work out for the United States? Will these tariffs result in other nations drawing closer together that have had rather cold, and even not so cold, relations in the past? Will global tariffs result in trade wars? Were the events which are happening predicted by any in the Continuing Church of God? Is Europe drawing closer to China? Is Europe drawing closer to Latin and South America? With the exception of a few of America’s allies, is the net result of these tariffs a worldwide scramble to create new alliances and new trading partners to the exclusion of the United States? What will be the future result of these new alliances? Many of the nations that are now seeking new alliances were just recently America’s allies. They were her friends. Dr. Thiel brings to light the fate of America and her allies at the hands of her former friends, as revealed in the book of Lamentations. As we rapidly approach the end times listen in as Dr. Thiel brings to light world events. Then listen as he shines the light of Bible prophecy directly on the questions raised from these world events.

Here is a link to our video: Trade Wars – and the Winner will be …