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Germany's trade surplus "neither good nor evil" - government spokesman

 

Trump merkel
U.S. President Donald Trump (C) walks past French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on his way to his spot for a family photo during the NATO summit at their new headquarters in Brussels, Belgium May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's trade surplus is "neither good nor evil", a German government spokesman said on Friday when asked about reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had criticised Berlin for running a high trade surplus.

"A trade surplus is neither good nor evil," government spokesman Georg Streiter told a government news conference. "It is the result of the interplay of supply and demand on global markets."

According to German media reports, Trump condemned Germany for "very bad" trade policies during a meeting on Thursday with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, signalling he might take steps to limit sales of German cars in the United States.

(Reporting By Thomas Escritt; Editing by Gareth Jones)