President Xi Jinping has spoken out against unilateral sanctions and trade barriers – reiterating China’s support for globalisation as the international economic environment turns more protectionist – in an article published on the opening day of a high-profile supply chain expo. Wednesday’s piece in Qiushi – the leading theoretical journal of the ruling Communist Party…
Beijing has removed “restrictions” on Reinhard Buetikofer, the former EU lawmaker it sanctioned in 2021, as it looks to normalise ties with the European Parliament. The move is expected to galvanise a new round of engagement, with an official meeting of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the China delegation of the European Parliament pencilled…
If a week is a long time in politics, after a bruising fortnight of wrestling with the world’s two superpowers, the European Union could be forgiven for thinking it has aged several decades. The bad news for the bloc’s bureaucrats is that they may have an even trickier few weeks to navigate before they are…
China and the European Union have largely finalised the “technical” part of negotiations towards resolving their electric vehicle (EV) tariff dispute, with the deal now hinging on “political will” from the European side, according to Chinese state-affiliated media. Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account linked to state broadcaster CCTV, reported on Friday night that the…
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the European Union’s top diplomat on Wednesday that Beijing cannot afford a Russian loss in Ukraine because it fears the United States would then shift its whole focus to Beijing, according to several people familiar with the exchange. The comment, to the EU’s Kaja Kallas, would confirm what many…
For months since the return of US President Donald Trump, there has been a roaring trade in papers and speeches about how to make Europe a truly independent geopolitical player. The term “strategic autonomy”, championed by the French government during Trump’s first term, is back in vogue. But the independence movement was on the ropes…
In the second of a two-part series on the national security law, we look at how the city has had to battle a negative narrative over the past five years. Read part 1 here. Soon after Hong Kong reopened in early 2023 as harsh pandemic restrictions were finally lifted, veteran lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee…
In the second of a two-part series on the national security law, we look at how the city has had to battle a negative narrative over the past five years. Read part 1 here. Soon after Hong Kong reopened in early 2023 as harsh pandemic restrictions were finally lifted, veteran lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee…
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas Monday called for what she called “a dose of realism” in its relations with China after EU foreign ministers discussed security aspects of relations with China. The ministers met to set the agenda for a planned July 2 Brussels meeting between Kallas and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi…
China’s shipments of hi-tech goods to the European Union went into overdrive last month, coinciding with a big drop in exports of the same goods to the US, suggesting that the superpower trade and tech wars could be affecting trade with Europe. Calculations based on recently published Chinese trade data showed that China in May…