Bangladesh, April 10 -- In a stark rebuke of growing European interest in closer ties with China, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has issued a dire warning to EU leaders, stating that any pivot towards Beijing at the expense of Washington would be tantamount to “cutting [their] own throat.” The comment, made during a press briefing on April 9, underscores the escalating trade tensions between the United States and China and signals a renewed push by the US to pressure its allies into taking sides in the ongoing economic confrontation.

Bessents remarks came in response to comments earlier the same day by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who, during a diplomatic visit to Asia, suggested that the European Union should r...