German chancellery aware of White House meeting with German car bosses

The German Chancellery is aware of the idea of a meeting between representatives of the U.S. government and the executives of German car companies, a spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday.

Top executives from German carmakers Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler are finalising plans for a White House meeting on trade policy next week, German and U.S. officials said on Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump has for months threatened to impose tariffs on vehicles assembled in the EU. The German government spokeswoman stressed that the European Commission was in principle responsible for negotiating with the U.S. administration on trade and tariffs.

(With inputs from agencies.)