German Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil is set to chair talks between his Social Democrat Party (SPD) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Beijing next month, even after Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was forced to postpone a trip to China after being unable to arrange enough meetings. Klingbeil is the leader of the SPD, but also…
In a dramatic speech in Berlin on Saturday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen painted a dystopian picture of today’s world as she reiterated her calls for an independent Europe. “Europe is facing up to another seismic change in the way the global economy works. We may be approaching a shift in the international…
Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday urged the European Union to steer their ties in the “right direction” and address trade discord through dialogue as Beijing and Brussels continue struggling to see eye to eye. At a bilateral meeting with European Council President Antonio Costa in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Li said Beijing was willing to…
The European Union has sanctioned two mainland Chinese oil refineries and one Hong Kong-based oil trader as part of its latest efforts to hobble Russia’s war economy, drawing a stern rebuke from Beijing. The companies were listed in a broader package of sanctions agreed by the EU’s 27 member states on Thursday morning, punishing in…
Lawmakers from Brussels and Beijing clashed on Russia and Taiwan, during their first official talks for seven years in the Belgian capital on Thursday. EU lawmakers and other people present said delegates from the National People’s Congress (NPC) echoed Russian narratives on the cause of the three-year war in Ukraine, as they visited the European…
European Union ministers have urged Brussels to take a “tough” response to China’s latest restrictions on rare earth exports. He added that he had received “a lot of concerned calls from European industry, especially car companies”. Last week, Beijing announced further controls that meant products with small traces of rare earths as well as processing…
Everywhere they look these days, Europe’s politicians see chaos. The United States is helping to trash the global order it built in its image. China is pulling the rug from under efforts to upgrade European industry by weaponising its monopoly on critical minerals. Russia is waging a hot war at the European Union’s borders, with…
Beijing is committed to a “fair” playing field for Italian investors, top diplomat Wang Yi pledged in Rome on Wednesday, as he courted international support for China’s next five-year plan. Addressing a joint press conference with his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani, the Chinese foreign minister also announced a further extension to Beijing’s unilateral visa-free entry…
The European Commission has unveiled sweeping measures to shield the EU’s struggling steel industry from a flood of overcapacity that it says is emanating from China, slashing tariff-free quotas by nearly half and doubling duties on excess shipments to 50 per cent. To take effect, the plan must be approved by the European Parliament and…
EU officials are scouring the continent for levers they can pull to inflict maximum pain on others, as they look to survive in a world in which allies and partners are weaponising Europe’s own dependencies at an alarming rate. Trade bureaucrats are building a database of potential chokepoints that can be squeezed as deterrents or…