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Many are concerned about a possible global trade war because of the re-election of Donald Trump.

No winners if Trump sparks global trade war, Starmer warned

Nobody would win a tit-for-tat trade war with the US when Donald Trump returns to power, Britain’s top international trade expert has warned.

An escalating tariff war with the Americans under Mr Trump would create “a very challenging market for us here in the UK” and British firms are increasingly concerned about the former president’s return, Marco Forgione, director general of the Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade, told The Independent.

During the election campaign, the Republican promised to implement 10 to 20 per cent tariffs on all goods coming into the country, rising to 60 per cent for those from China. …

Keir Starmer has been warned ‘nobody would win’ from a trade war with the US 11/07/24  https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/politics/trump-tariffs-us-election-starmer-brexit-b2643043.html

Leaders of the 27 EU member states met in Budapest on Thursday to weigh transatlantic relations and chime in on Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election. Faced with uncertainty, they urged the president-elect to refrain from unsettling the global order, avoid trade wars and maintain support for Ukraine.  …

Trump’s win is a major challenge for Europe, … his return to power brings … the prospect of tariffs on exports to the United States. …

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said it was now up to the European Union to be united. No EU member state on their own can manage the upcoming challenges, she said. https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20241107-european-leaders-make-plea-for-trump-to-support-ukraine-and-avoid-trade-wars

Trump’s stated preference is to reset the supply chains to US advantage, either through eye-wateringly high tariffs or ensuring greater post-manufacture assembly of foreign goods in the US. These are high stakes indeed. The US is the EU’s biggest trade partner, with ever-increasing volumes of goods and services being purchased.

Is Europe prepared?

Not only has the European Commission been sharpening its teeth on a number of trade, tech, AI and investment-related mechanisms designed to keep Trump-upmanship at bay. But the highly anticipated trade war has already been prepared for, at least in terms of protecting the EU’s financial interests.

The European Commission is focused on increasing the EU’s overall self-sufficiency in big tech, including climate tech and raw materials. This will likely invite arguments with the US, as well as unresolved arguments over steel. 11/07/24 https://theconversation.com/what-trumps-return-might-mean-for-europe-and-how-its-starting-to-prepare-for-the-challenges-242715

Yes, there are fears and concerns in Europe about trade wars and Donald Trump. But as European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stated, Europe will need to stand more unified together to deal with this. And the EU will take steps.

Notice also the following related to China:

China’s Xi warns Trump as renewed trade war looms: We will ‘lose from confrontation’

November 8, 2024 https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6364403794112

No winners in trade wars, says Chinese envoy, as U.S. confrontation looms

November 7, 2024

BEIJING (Reuters) -There are no winners in tariff or trade wars, nor in wars over science and technology or industry, said China’s top envoy to the United States, as Donald Trump’s presidential election win raised the spectre of another bruising confrontation with China. …

Trump takes office in January.

The Republican has vowed to adopt blanket 60% tariffs on U.S. imports of Chinese goods compared with the 7.5% to 25% levied in his first term. …

Analysts said China would be ready to fight back if a new trade war were to erupt.

“Even in the unlikely event that we saw a sudden thaw in U.S.-China ties, Beijing will continue to prioritise self-sufficiency and economic security,” said Joe Mazur, senior analyst at Beijing-based consultancy Trivium China.

“If (tariffs) were to happen, I think we would start to see some pretty aggressive retaliation from the Chinese side. The calculus here would likely be that playing nice really didn’t get China anywhere and that striking back hard might cause the U.S. to think twice about pressuring China economically.” https://finance.yahoo.com/news/no-winners-trade-industrial-wars-063330357.html

Yes, there are trade concerns that the Europeans have about Donald Trump.

Here is some of what I warned about in my January 2017 book Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse:

Trade

Donald Trump has stated his firm opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP).[i] However, various members of his staff support it. Without something like TPP, many nations who were involved with it are likely to move closer to China, as opposed to away from it as China was not part of TPP.[ii]

Donald Trump’s election has been pointed to as the end of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) trade agreement involving the USA and Europe.[iii]

Donald Trump has called for “fair trade” and indicated that various nations, including several in Asia, are not engaged in fair trade, so he has proposed high tariffs.[iv]

Some believe that Donald Trump’s positions on trade will lead to a global trade war that could trigger some type of international war.[v] It is my position that trade disputes will be a factor in Europe taking military action against the U.S.A. one day.

[i] ^{Trade: Donald J. Trump’s Vision. https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/trade accessed December 16, 2016}

[ii] ^{Timiraos N. Donald Trump Is Staffing His Administration with TPP Supporters. Wall Street Journal, December 8, 2016}

[iii] ^{Kassam R. EU Accepts TTIP Deal Dead Due To Trump Presidency.Breibart, November 11, 2016}

[iv] ^{Trade: Donald J. Trump’s Vision. https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/trade accessed December 16, 2016}

[v] ^{Katasonov V. Only One Step Away from a Global Trade War. Strategic Culture Foundation, December 12, 2016}

Notice also something else I wrote years ago:

• Donald Trump has already offended the Europeans, with his trade and other policies, though he gets along with some. Despite a certain accuracy in his statements related to NATO, the result will not turn out quite as Donald Trump expects. Some of his statements may be leading to the rise of the prophesied King of the North, who is to be the final leader of the Beast of Revelation (Revelation 13:1)–and some in Europe have looked forward to Donald Trump’s rise for their own agenda as they believe “Trump presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for emancipation from American influence” (see ‘Why Europe Secretly Roots For Donald Trump’?).

Since the above was posted, the Europeans have been working on getting involved with infrastructure projects in Asia and elsewhere to improve its trade and international influence as well as become less dependent upon trade with the USA.

Yet, the Bible prophesies that Europe will, for a time, dominate the world economically.

Europe has been working on this for decades–but the election, and now re-election, of Donald Trump will motivate Europe to accelerate some of its steps.

Now, when what became the European was called the European Community, the old Worldwide Church of God published the following:

Beyond Europe’s Present Crisis COLOSSUS IN THE MAKING

… the business of the European Community is not just business.

Although the EC’s field of action is largely economic, its founders’ aims were essentially political. From the start, European planners envisioned the Community as the nucleus of a future political “United States of Europe” with a centralized political authority. Economic integration would be only the start. The ultimate product would be an entirely new political entity!

Many, even in those early years, saw the Community evolving into a strong politico-economic power, a European counterweight to Soviet Russia.

And indeed, strides have been made over the years in the political arena. In June 1979, for example, voters in the EC member nations went to the polls to choose, for the first time, directly elected representatives to the enlarged and strengthened European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. This was an enormous milestone in European history.

But the old nemesis of self-centered nationalism still impedes progress. As yet, the EC’s decision-making institutions are invested with few substantial powers. Only minimal surrender of national sovereignty has taken place.

National self-interest still dictates governments’ positions in EC negotiations, notably in the area of agricultural policy. Quarrels over how the EC spends its money have even prompted some observers to suggest the possibility of a Common Market collapse!

The EC faces a series of crucial decisions in the near future. Most Europeans realize there can be no going back. Many remain hopeful that the remaining years of this century will yet witness a coherent, full-functioning United States of Europe.

And they are right!

Foretold Long Ago

Bible prophecy — as so often explained in the pages of this magazine — reveals that a powerful New Europe is on the horizon!

The Bible foretells a gigantic world-trading system to be formed in our time, possessing worldwide political power and influence. Ultimately, this prophesied New Europe will possess greater population, greater industrial and economic capacity, and greater military power than either the Soviet Union or the United States now possesses!

Nearly a quarter century ago, editor in chief Herbert W. Armstrong declared with reference to the newly created Common Market:

“It is one of the crucial developments of world history. It is bringing to life a slumbering giant. It is developing into — creating — a GIANT NEW WORLD POWER, that will be mightier than either Russia or the United States! It is swiftly, dynamically, fulfilling PROPHECY! It is resurrecting the ROMAN EMPIRE!” (Plain Truth, September 1961).

The dream of a united Europe has permeated the history of the Continent. The original Roman Empire fell in A.D. 476. But Bible prophecy revealed it was to be restored again and again over the centuries. The most recent attempt to revive the Roman Empire was by Benito Mussolini. Today we see the last resurrection of the Roman Empire springing to economic life! It will be composed of 10 nations or blocs of nations — but not necessarily the 10 now associated in the EC.

The final political union in Europe will not come about through slow, evolutionary means, but suddenly — in reaction to dire external threats to the Continent’s very existence! The “founding father” of the Common Market, Jean Monnet, foresaw this when he remarked that “necessity is the real federator.” The years just ahead will provide the specific events that will t rigger the final, sudden, desperate fusion of Europe.

Moreover, prophecy reveals that religion will have its part to play in inspiring enthusiasm for European unity. The Roman Catholic Church, locked in a struggle with Soviet atheism and U.S. secular consumerism, will reassume its historic role as a “glue” for Europe, cementing together the diverse peoples and cultures of the Continent.

New Superpower

The stage is set.

Europe stands on the threshold of unparalleled world power. By virtue of its economic dynamism, political muscle and continuing need for Middle Eastern oil, the coming United Europe will be in a position to reshape the geopolitical balance of the world! (Stump K. Beyond Europe’s Present Crisis COLOSSUS IN THE MAKING. Plain Truth, September 1984)

The stage is being set for Europe. It is working on having more unity and more international economic reach. Donald Trump is also a public motivator for the Europeans.

Yet, Europe will have economic distress before it unites to fulfill its prophesied economic dominance on the world. But for a time it will succeed.

Notice some of what is shown in places such as Revelation 18 discussing some of the reach of the end time European Babylon:

3 … all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury. (Revelation 18:3)

9 The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her … 19 in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! (Revelation 18:9,19)

Europe does not have to be perfect to do this, but perceived for a time, as the best economic option for the world.

Although it does not look like that now to most people, Europe is prophesied to do so.

Trade will be a factor in what can be called World War III–and this war will be a conflict with Europe (but the ‘shooting’ aspect of this will not happen before 2028; for some details, see When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?).

We continue to see steps that are leading up to it.

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This entry was posted on Friday, November 8th, 2024 at 5:00 pm and is filed under Prophecy.

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