Against Trump, the EU and Japan, about to sign a "historic" trade agreement

European Union (EU) leaders will arrive in Tokyo on Tuesday where they will sign an agreement to free trade "historic", a sign of unity against protectionism promoted by US President Donald Trump.

Before his trip to Japan, European Council President Donald Tusk and Commission Chief Jean-Claude Juncker made a stop in China for the twentieth summit between the EU and the Asian giant , with the same goal of closing the ranks in front of the American president.

"Multilateralism is under attack, it is an unprecedented attack since the end of the Second World War", warned Mr. Juncker during an interview with Chinese President Xi Jinping

"There is still time to avoid conflict and chaos," Tusk said.

The meeting was initially scheduled in Brussels last week, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe canceled his trip because of the floods that claimed the lives of about 200 people in the west of the archipelago.

The agreement with Japan is "historic" and is "the largest ever negotiated by the European Union," said commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas. "This agreement will create a free trade area that will cover about a third of global GDP," he said.

On the European side, the agri-food sector is the big winner of the negotiations, since the agreement abolishes tariffs for almost all food products, although in some cases this decision will be applied after a transitional period .

The two sides reached a compromise on the thorny issue of dairy products, especially on cheese imported from EU countries, to which Japan imposes high tariffs that will be gradually reduced.

The Japanese obtain free access to the European market for their automobile industry, but only after a transition period of several years.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom, a participant in the Asia tour, recently said that the EU-Japan deal would be a "clear signal" against US protectionism, at a time when the United States was deciding to impose tariffs on their allies.

Such trade tensions could soon undermine global economic growth, warned Monday the International Monetary Fund.

burx-anb / kap / uh / plh / gm