US, Germany Hold First Structured Economic Dialogue At White House

The United States and Germany held their first Structured Economic Dialogue to improve trade relations, the White House said in a press release on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th September, 2018) The United States and Germany held their first Structured Economic Dialogue to improve trade relations, the White House said in a press release on Wednesday.

"Assistant to the President and National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow was pleased to welcome Lars-Hendrik Roller, Economic and Financial Policy Advisor to Chancellor [Angela] Merkel, and his delegation (including Germany's Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Finance) to the White House today for the first US-Germany Structured Economic Dialogue," the release said.

The release said the talks are part of a joint initiative between US President Donald Trump and Merkel to improve trade and deepen bilateral economic relations.

Both sides said the meeting was productive and agreed to enhance economic growth and market access, and look forward to discussions in the future, the release added.

EU-US trade relations have been tense since Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports in March. The European Union sought to be exempted from the trade restrictions but, when the United States refused to do so, the bloc introduced its own duties on US goods.