But the worst-case scenarios were so bad that Europe’s trade negotiators gave up on returning to anything close to those halcyon days. Over the past few months Mr Trump, convinced that the EU was ripping off his countrymen,

Beijing is betting that economic pressure and diplomatic defiance will force concessions, but its stance could put more strain on its ties with Europe at a crucial time.

The good news is that an all-out transatlantic trade war appears to have been averted. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has confirmed the broad outlines of the accord, which appears to be more of a framework than a formal line-by-line agreement.