The European Commission chief did not explicitly mention the new US president or his trade policies, but underscored the number of American jobs tied to European trade.

The EU chief focused much of her address on the need to foster partnerships beyond the United States -- calling for the bloc to "engage constructively" with China, despite rising trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels.

The President of the European Commission defends an adaptation of the EU to the new environment "within our values" but taking advantage of "opportunities wherever they arise" without excluding China,