https://www.scmp.com/rss/508422/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham China will hit EU firms with reciprocal measures if the bloc targets Chinese firms as planned under its proposed cybersecurity regulations, Beijing has warned. In a 30-page document submitted to the European Commission on Friday, China’s commerce ministry explicitly warned that broad retaliation was on the table if firms such as Huawei and ZTE were penalised by the law, which was announced in January but is still in draft form. “If the EU designates China as a ‘country posing cybersecurity... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350763/china-threatens-eu-firms-over-cybersecurity-plans-targeting-chinese-companies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350763/china-threatens-eu-firms-over-cybersecurity-plans-targeting-chinese-companies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:01:08 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu Almost 80 per cent of the Chinese companies operating in the European Union plan to expand their investment there, even though most complain about policy uncertainty, according to a report published on Tuesday by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCCEU) and the China Economic Information Service. The result stands in sharp contrast to similar reports published by the European Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC) – despite companies from both sides complaining about obstacles such as... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347861/amid-struggles-home-80-chinese-companies-eu-plan-more-investment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347861/amid-struggles-home-80-chinese-companies-eu-plan-more-investment?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 09:02:48 +0000 Ningrong Liu Ningrong Liu The Iran war has declared the death of the old global order. Europe wasn’t even consulted before Washington struck Iran alongside Israel – proof the continent is trapped between moral outrage and geopolitical irrelevance. If Europe wants to matter, it must shift its gaze eastwards, redefining China not as a binary adversary but as a balancing power. This is the path from Atlantic dependence to Eurasian relevance. For China, too, this moment is pivotal. US President Donald Trump has launched wars... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344614/emerging-world-order-europe-and-chinas-interests-align?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344614/emerging-world-order-europe-and-chinas-interests-align?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham At a time when German industry is frequently slammed for being too slow and reluctant to change, there is one area in which industrialists have noticed rapid evolution. “The speed at which our position towards China has changed and at which our members are changing their minds on China – it’s China speed,” said Oliver Richtberg, head of the foreign trade department at Germany’s Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA). Richtberg’s group represents more than 3,000 of Germany’s “hidden... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344366/china-shock-hangs-over-german-leader-friedrich-merzs-first-visit-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344366/china-shock-hangs-over-german-leader-friedrich-merzs-first-visit-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 15:00:12 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Munich Security Conference that it would be “geopolitical malpractice” not to talk to China, as he pledged that Washington would carefully manage its differences with Beijing. “Because we’re two large countries with huge global interests, our national interests will often not align,” Rubio told the event in a keynote address on Saturday morning. “We owe it to the world to try to manage those as best we can, obviously avoiding conflict, both economic and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343577/rubio-european-allies-our-destiny-will-be-intertwined-yours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343577/rubio-european-allies-our-destiny-will-be-intertwined-yours?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 08:13:34 +0000 Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa Europe’s survival as an independent political power depends on its readiness to impose costs on the United States while reopening a sustained channel with China. The Arthashastra counsels that the enemy of one’s enemy is one’s friend. Europe has ignored this principle, absorbing repeated American bullying while refusing to leverage relations with China as a counterweight. The Greenland episode crystallises a reality enforced through trade threats, security conditionality and territorial... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341010/europe-must-make-us-feel-cost-coercion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341010/europe-must-make-us-feel-cost-coercion?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Hao Nan Hao Nan China and the European Union began 2026 with another trade clash. As the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism entered its definitive phase, Brussels tightened compliance and Beijing warned of countermeasures. However, this week, the two sides signalled progress on defusing the electric vehicle dispute; the EU issued guidance to Chinese EV exporters on submitting minimum price plans. The juxtaposition underlines the point: even when one high-profile area shifts from escalation to technical... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339329/can-europe-rebuild-its-strength-trade-china-without-fear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339329/can-europe-rebuild-its-strength-trade-china-without-fear?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 08:30:10 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has warned that Europe must be “extremely cautious” about slapping tariffs on China, as it could prompt Beijing to take countermeasures that could turn into a “spiral”. The remarks came after French President Emmanuel Macron said he had told Beijing during his visit to China last week that Europe would be forced to take “strong measures” against Chinese goods if the trade imbalance was not addressed. “I told them that if they do not react, we Europeans... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335679/hitting-china-tariffs-should-be-last-resort-german-foreign-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335679/hitting-china-tariffs-should-be-last-resort-german-foreign-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 02:43:59 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen China’s deliveries of rare earths, semiconductors and other commodities to Germany dominated the talks between German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Monday. “In all of these areas, there has been uncertainty, and that needs to be eliminated,” Wadephul said as he began a trip to China aimed at addressing Berlin’s trade and geopolitical concerns. According to Reuters, Beijing was far from being persuaded to grant general export licences for rare earth... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335643/german-foreign-minister-calls-end-uncertainty-chinese-rare-earths-chips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335643/german-foreign-minister-calls-end-uncertainty-chinese-rare-earths-chips?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 12:50:36 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu Emmanuel Macron has warned Beijing that Europe would be forced to retaliate with “strong measures” against Chinese goods – including punitive tariffs modelled after US policy – if a trade imbalance between the two sides remains unaddressed well into 2026. Back in Paris, fresh from a diplomatic visit to China that ended on Friday, the French president told business newspaper Les Echos that China was “effectively killing their own customers” by running unsustainable surpluses while curbing... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3335620/macrons-trade-ultimatum-china-goes-private-public-fix-surplus-or-face-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3335620/macrons-trade-ultimatum-china-goes-private-public-fix-surplus-or-face-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 10:00:33 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen France is poised to get a pair of pandas in 2027 as part of a new decade-long loan agreement finalised following President Emmanuel Macron’s three-day visit to China. On Thursday, the China Wildlife Conservation Association announced it had agreed with France’s Beauval Zoo to extend their international cooperation on giant panda conservation with the aim of boosting Sino-French exchanges. According to the group’s statement, the two giant pandas are expected to arrive at the zoo in Saint-Aignan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335395/france-poised-get-two-giant-pandas-2027-after-macrons-visit-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335395/france-poised-get-two-giant-pandas-2027-after-macrons-visit-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 12:00:38 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu French President Emmanuel Macron will visit China next week and meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Elysee Palace said in a statement on Wednesday. The three-day visit is scheduled to begin on December 3, with two stops in Beijing and Chengdu, according to the statement. “On this occasion, major issues relating to the strategic partnership between France and China will be addressed, as well as several major international matters and areas of cooperation aimed at tackling the global... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334285/frances-emmanuel-macron-meet-xi-jinping-during-china-trip-next-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334285/frances-emmanuel-macron-meet-xi-jinping-during-china-trip-next-week?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 18:10:24 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu Most Chinese companies are faring well in the European Union despite rising challenges such as higher labour costs, trade barriers and the bloc’s efforts to reduce dependence on Beijing, the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCCEU) said in its annual report. Over 80 per cent of surveyed companies reported stable or improved performance in Europe in 2024, with more than half posting revenue growth and 40 per cent turning higher profits, according to the report published on Wednesday by the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3332481/chinese-firms-eu-report-stable-or-better-performance-despite-mounting-uncertainties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3332481/chinese-firms-eu-report-stable-or-better-performance-despite-mounting-uncertainties?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 09:02:15 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham At a meeting in Brussels last month, foreign ministers from the European Union’s 27 member states sat down to discuss the bloc’s plans for the Indo-Pacific region. The conversation, according to several people familiar with it, lasted just seven minutes. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that officials, diplomats and experts are groaning about the lack of coherence and foresight in the union’s China policy. At a time when European leaders are promising independence, credibility and resilience,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331878/7-minutes-asia-europes-struggle-relevance-age-china-and-trumps-g2?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331878/7-minutes-asia-europes-struggle-relevance-age-china-and-trumps-g2?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 07:00:09 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu As China drafts its 15th five-year plan – the next entry in a line of expansive blueprints that have set the tone for the country’s development over more than seven decades – we examine how these documents inform and reflect high-level policy priorities, what to expect in the coming iteration and how foreign investors are likely to be affected. For more stories in this ongoing series, click here. To view SCMP Plus Factsheets on the 15th five-year-plan and more premium content, click here. Sun... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3328532/what-chinas-next-5-year-plan-means-foreign-investors-quantity-quality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3328532/what-chinas-next-5-year-plan-means-foreign-investors-quantity-quality?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 22:00:19 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu Former French finance minister Eric Lombard accused the United States and China of killing free trade and called for the European Union to pursue a more “nationalistic” approach to trade policy in response during a speech in Paris on Thursday. “Free trade is over, it is dead,” Lombard told a summit on competitiveness organised by Politico in the French capital. He urged France and Europe to “wake up” to the fact that the US and China were employing unfair trade practices that deviate from free... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3328509/us-and-china-have-killed-free-trade-former-french-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3328509/us-and-china-have-killed-free-trade-former-french-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 07:15:25 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The European Union is “worried” by China’s move to tighten restrictions on rare earth minerals, with senior figures saying the controls will compound the deterioration in trade relations that have only “worsened” since a summit in July. On Thursday, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced a sweeping “upgrade” of rare earth licensing requirements that have been in place since April, expanding them to cover the export of technologies used to process the minerals. The move also tightens licensing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3328418/chinas-rare-earth-clampdown-deepens-eu-anxiety-industry-and-ukraine-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3328418/chinas-rare-earth-clampdown-deepens-eu-anxiety-industry-and-ukraine-support?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:59:38 +0000 Zhou Xiaoming Zhou Xiaoming In the classic Spanish novel Don Quixote, the knight insisted on attacking windmills he had mistaken for giants, and ended up unhorsed. In real life, the European Union has increasingly and aggressively taken on China over the past few years, often at the expense of its own economic and social goals. The EU has long complained about its trade deficit with China, attributing it to a lack of market access. Yet it refuses to ratify the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) – a golden... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3326427/setting-china-adversary-eu-tilting-windmills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3326427/setting-china-adversary-eu-tilting-windmills?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 12:30:10 +0000 Wenran Jiang Wenran Jiang Geopolitical tremors from Washington’s trade wars against its closest allies – the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Canada and Australia – might have convinced Beijing of an impending realignment. China has seized the moment with a charm offensive, urging pragmatic cooperation amid tariff spats. Beijing rightly condemns Washington for shredding the very World Trade Organization rules and post-war liberal order it crafted, calling for collective action against US coercion. Yet despite the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3322705/why-us-allies-are-resisting-chinas-charm-offensive-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3322705/why-us-allies-are-resisting-chinas-charm-offensive-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Aug 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Agencies Agencies The United States has struck a framework trade deal with Europe, US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, averting a spiralling row between two allies who account for almost a third of global trade. “We have reached a deal. It’s a good deal for everybody,” Trump told reporters following a high-stakes meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his golf resort in Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland. The deal, that includes a 15 per cent tariff on EU goods entering the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3319765/trump-and-european-officials-talk-trade-tariffs-scotland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3319765/trump-and-european-officials-talk-trade-tariffs-scotland?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Jul 2025 14:28:07 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The head of a German think tank sanctioned by Beijing four years ago has returned from a trip to China, suggesting that travel restrictions on the organisation may be easing. Mikko Huotari, the executive director of the Mercator Institute for China Studies (Merics) was in Beijing from July 14 to 17, after being invited by a leading Chinese think tank. Merics was among the European institutions hit with travel bans and asset freezes in March 2021, in retaliation for European Union sanctions on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3319202/sanctioned-german-china-expert-visits-beijing-sign-easing-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3319202/sanctioned-german-china-expert-visits-beijing-sign-easing-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 19:00:11 +0000 Winston Mok Winston Mok As the European Union prepares to hold its summit with China ahead of the August 1 deadline to achieve a tariff deal with the United States, it is squeezed between two superpowers. Trump’s letter threatening the EU with 30 per cent tariffs suggests that his true negotiating stance is a minimum of 15-20 per cent general tariffs and an unwavering 25 per cent on auto tariffs. Given these harsh terms, could the summit with China strengthen the EU’s bargaining position with the US? The EU fears an... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3318482/how-eu-squeezed-between-us-and-china-can-negotiate-big-win?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3318482/how-eu-squeezed-between-us-and-china-can-negotiate-big-win?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Nikola Mikovic Nikola Mikovic Ahead of the China-European Union summit, set to take place in Beijing on July 24, the 27-nation bloc seems determined to adopt a firm stance in its relationship with the world’s second-largest economy. While accusing China of aiding Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine, the EU also seeks what it sees as fairer economic relations. But can the growing pressure influence Beijing’s position on Moscow and the Ukraine conflict? In a recent speech, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3317581/eu-doing-itself-no-trade-favours-pushing-china-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3317581/eu-doing-itself-no-trade-favours-pushing-china-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang European Union envoys to China say they have low expectations of any substantial achievement at the coming EU-China summit, citing complex trade challenges and the ongoing Ukraine war. “I am sorry to be pessimistic – the next EU-China summit will be a wonderful summit with wonderful statements of principles, but I doubt that we will get some strategic incremental progress,” Italy’s ambassador to China, Massimo Ambrosetti, said at the World Peace Forum in Beijing on Friday. European Commission... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317269/pessimistic-ukraine-war-trade-expected-mar-progress-china-eu-summit-month?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317269/pessimistic-ukraine-war-trade-expected-mar-progress-china-eu-summit-month?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2025 12:38:02 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has downplayed EU concerns over restrictions on rare earth exports and offered assurances that the needs of European companies will be met if they adhere to proper application procedures. Controlling dual-use goods was a sovereign right and an international responsibility for all nations, Wang said during a news conference with his German counterpart in Berlin on Thursday. He was responding to a question about European companies’ unease over Beijing’s export... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3316937/rare-earth-exports-should-never-come-between-china-and-eu-wang-yi-says-europe-tour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3316937/rare-earth-exports-should-never-come-between-china-and-eu-wang-yi-says-europe-tour?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 09:00:10 +0000 Kawala Xie Kawala Xie China has presented itself as a “peaceful, inclusive and cooperative” partner for the European Union and promised to not follow the path taken by the United States. In a meeting with EU representatives in Brussels on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the bloc to “truly foster a rational understanding” of China and to not seek confrontation despite their divisions. “China and Europe have different histories, cultures and values. We should not regard each other as opponents just... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3316767/china-not-us-europe-has-challenges-none-come-beijing-wang-yi-tells-eu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3316767/china-not-us-europe-has-challenges-none-come-beijing-wang-yi-tells-eu?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 05:58:04 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham In a soulless conference room in Brussels in November, officials and experts from around Europe and the United States were locked in a technical debate over a cryptic bit of economic jargon: global non-market overcapacity. Beneath the geography-free legalese so common in Brussels, China was undoubtedly the subject. The conference, organised by the European Commission, was designed to thrash out solutions to the problem of overcapacity in China’s economy and the second-order effects Europe... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3315106/overcapacity-economic-buzzword-fuelling-europes-clash-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3315106/overcapacity-economic-buzzword-fuelling-europes-clash-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jun 2025 22:00:07 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi China and the European Union have agreed to hold a new round of trade talks to pave the way for a high-level leaders’ summit next month, but analysts said it remained to be seen whether the two sides could resolve the impasse in their bilateral economic relations. The talks were announced by the European Commission following a meeting between China’s commerce minister, Wang Wentao, and EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic on the sidelines of a World Trade Organization event in Paris on Tuesday. They... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3313046/china-and-eu-schedule-crunch-talks-resolve-economic-deadlock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3313046/china-and-eu-schedule-crunch-talks-resolve-economic-deadlock?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jun 2025 13:30:08 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham European Union member states voted on Monday to restrict access to the bloc’s vast procurement markets for Chinese medical device manufacturers in response to Beijing’s refusal to open its own tenders to EU firms. Chinese firms will be blocked from EU tenders worth more than €5 million (US$5.2 million) for a five-year period in what marks the first use of the bloc’s international procurement instrument (IPI). The move comes after fruitless negotiations on market access with the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3312784/eu-set-clamp-down-chinas-access-medical-device-market-trade-tensions-simmer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3312784/eu-set-clamp-down-chinas-access-medical-device-market-trade-tensions-simmer?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Jun 2025 12:39:42 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The European Union is considering cutting more than 20 banks from SWIFT, the international payments system, as well as lowering a price cap on Russian oil and banning the Nord Stream gas pipelines as part of a new sanctions package that aims to increase pressure on Moscow to end its war against Ukraine. The European Commission is consulting member states over the plans, according to people familiar with the matter. A decision on timing of potential restrictions has yet to be taken, said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3311666/eu-weighs-new-russia-sanctions-may-cut-20-banks-swift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3311666/eu-weighs-new-russia-sanctions-may-cut-20-banks-swift?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 May 2025 09:15:55 +0000 Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa Hesitation is no longer an option. China and the European Union must redefine their partnership now or accept lasting estrangement. Donald Trump’s return as US president has thrown the global order into flux, pulling Europe closer to China – but that opening will not last indefinitely. For years, China spoke of win-win cooperation while sidestepping the issues straining relations. Brussels’ concerns grew as Beijing dismissed them: non-reciprocal market access, weighty trade imbalances, a rising... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3311085/if-china-wants-eu-partner-it-must-offer-concrete-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3311085/if-china-wants-eu-partner-it-must-offer-concrete-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim The European Union has “no intention” of trying to revive a stalled investment deal with China, according to a senior diplomatic official, who insisted the focus should be on making “progress on existing problems” instead. Marjut Hannonen, head of trade for the European Union’s delegation in Beijing, told a panel discussion on Wednesday that trade ties with China had “steadily deteriorated” in the past 15 to 20 years as it put in place more barriers for business. Chinese officials, including the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3310464/eu-has-no-interest-reviving-stalled-investment-deal-china-says-trade-official?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3310464/eu-has-no-interest-reviving-stalled-investment-deal-china-says-trade-official?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 May 2025 08:18:55 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim A former top European Union official has urged the bloc to manage its competition with China responsibly, saying their relationship should not be influenced by other world powers. Charles Michel, who was president of the European Council from 2019 to 2024, said tensions could arise out of the EU and China’s different traditions, cultures and political systems but “stability and predictability is in everyone’s interests”. “We must manage our differences and competitions in a responsible way … Our... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3309850/why-eu-china-stability-key-world-order-under-constant-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3309850/why-eu-china-stability-key-world-order-under-constant-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 May 2025 09:23:24 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Friedrich Merz on Tuesday after he was elected chancellor by the German parliament, and called for deeper cooperation and globalisation. In the congratulatory message, Xi told Merz that China and Germany – the world’s second- and third-largest economies – should deepen cooperation and jointly promote economic globalisation. Describing the world as marked by upheaval, surging unilateralism and protectionism, Xi said he held the development of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3309383/xi-jinping-welcomes-new-chapter-china-germany-ties-congratulating-friedrich-merz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3309383/xi-jinping-welcomes-new-chapter-china-germany-ties-congratulating-friedrich-merz?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 May 2025 08:00:08 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham For months, European Union leaders have been warning that they need to move smartly to survive in what they describe as “an era of hyper-competitive and hyper-transactional geopolitics”. Now, as the bloc prepares to hit the negotiating tables with the world’s two major superpowers, its deal-making mettle is about to be put to the test. On one side, it faces off against a China that is on an aggressive European charm offensive. Fresh from lifting retaliatory sanctions against some EU lawmakers,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3308740/deal-or-no-deal-eu-engages-us-china-high-wire-bargaining-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3308740/deal-or-no-deal-eu-engages-us-china-high-wire-bargaining-act?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 May 2025 05:00:08 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham China has lifted sanctions on members of the European Parliament and their families, in the first firm concession of a charm offensive aimed at prising Europe away from Washington’s orbit. Beijing will hope its gambit will thaw out a bilateral investment pact, the ratification of which the parliament froze following a tit-for-tat exchange of sanctions over EU human rights concerns in 2021. The announcement was made by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to a closed-door meeting of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3308593/china-lifts-sanctions-eu-lawmakers-amid-transatlantic-strains-caused-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3308593/china-lifts-sanctions-eu-lawmakers-amid-transatlantic-strains-caused-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Apr 2025 15:00:16 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The European Union will not remove sanctions on Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, even as Beijing moves to lift some of its retaliatory sanctions on EU lawmakers. The Post reported earlier that China and the European Parliament were in the “final stages” of lifting the punitive measures on sitting members, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks. However a spokeswoman for the EU’s diplomatic arm, which oversees foreign policy and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3307817/china-eases-eu-lawmakers-brussels-stays-course-xinjiang-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3307817/china-eases-eu-lawmakers-brussels-stays-course-xinjiang-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Apr 2025 12:51:12 +0000 Foreign business chambers in China say that companies from their respective countries are worried in the face of mounting uncertainties from the intensifying trade war with the US, fearing that this could be just the beginning. Among them are American firms, who contend that higher tariffs will hurt consumers around the world. “Many of our member companies, and upstream and downstream partners, rely on the flow of goods to and from the US. The reciprocal tariffs and China’s countermeasures will... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3306200/us-eu-german-business-chambers-china-brace-long-lasting-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3306200/us-eu-german-business-chambers-china-brace-long-lasting-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Apr 2025 05:00:08 +0000 China has “enough policy tools” in reserve and is “fully capable of countering external shocks”, Premier Li Qiang told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, in the Chinese leadership’s first comments since US President Donald Trump unleashed a global trade war last week. The comments came during a call on Tuesday, during which the sides discussed ways to inject “stability and predictability” into the global economy in the wake of the destruction caused by United States... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3305692/trumps-tariffs-upend-order-chinese-and-eu-leaders-discuss-need-predictability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3305692/trumps-tariffs-upend-order-chinese-and-eu-leaders-discuss-need-predictability?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Apr 2025 10:21:44 +0000 US President Donald Trump appears to be doing his best to make an alignment between the European Union and China possible. It is a paradox, given that Washington and Europe have a long-standing alliance but that, essentially, is what is emerging. Trump has slapped fresh US trade tariffs on China and promised the EU would be next in the firing line, prompting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to respond that the bloc would retaliate if targeted. Like the Chinese leadership, EU... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3297510/despite-trump-threat-china-eu-alignment-remains-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3297510/despite-trump-threat-china-eu-alignment-remains-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Feb 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Beijing has accused the European Union of imposing unfair “trade and investment barriers”, but has refrained from immediate retaliation as the two sides continue talks to resolve the dispute. China’s Commerce Ministry announced on Thursday that it had concluded the EU’s recent investigations into Chinese enterprises under its Foreign Subsidies Regulation were “unfair and non-transparent”. Brussels launched an investigation to determine whether Chinese government subsidies were undermining... https://www.scmp.com/economy/policy/article/3294243/china-pressures-eu-talks-resolve-unfair-trade-barriers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/policy/article/3294243/china-pressures-eu-talks-resolve-unfair-trade-barriers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jan 2025 08:35:13 +0000 China’s top diplomat has warned that a trade war between China and the European Union would result in a “lose-lose” situation and urged Beijing and Brussels to continue talks and strengthen their cooperation. Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the comments on Saturday while meeting Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron, at the 26th China-France Strategic Dialogue in Beijing, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. “A trade war will only lead to a ‘lose-lose’... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3290871/china-eu-trade-war-lose-lose-situation-top-diplomat-wang-yi-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3290871/china-eu-trade-war-lose-lose-situation-top-diplomat-wang-yi-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Dec 2024 14:00:07 +0000 Five years ago, the newly minted EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan was fresh off the plane from his first overseas mission: a trip to Beijing. The Irish official was thrashing out a long-negotiated investment deal that would be hastily concluded barely a year on, then frozen in perpetuity after a dispute over human rights sanctions a few months later. Now, with a new European Commission team in place, none of its commissioners are talking about going to China. Frantic bursts of dialogue over the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3290609/eu-china-agenda-stalls-under-donald-trumps-long-shadow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3290609/eu-china-agenda-stalls-under-donald-trumps-long-shadow?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Dec 2024 04:23:52 +0000 Two months before Donald Trump’s return to the White House, some speculate that the European Union and China could patch up their frayed ties in a bid to avoid a multi-front trade war. In Brussels, however, officials believe they are a million miles from a detente: the sides continue to clash on issues from trade and geopolitics to hard security and China’s ties with Russia. Instead, the grievances are piling up. In the latest flare-up, a Chinese cargo ship, the Yi Peng 3, has been detained by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3287615/sharp-eu-china-differences-over-trade-ukraine-war-leave-little-room-mend-frayed-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3287615/sharp-eu-china-differences-over-trade-ukraine-war-leave-little-room-mend-frayed-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Nov 2024 04:00:09 +0000 On his family farm half an hour south of the Irish border, Thomas Duffy could have been forgiven for thinking he was safe from the expanding tentacles of China’s brewing trade war with Europe. But this week, he and many of Ireland’s 17,000 other dairy farmers were stunned by news that China is investigating subsidies into cheese, milk and cream from across the European Union. Ireland exported almost US$50 million of the products named in the announcement to China last year. Most of it is shipped... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3275830/european-farmers-caught-crossfire-eu-china-trade-war-beijing-targets-dairy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3275830/european-farmers-caught-crossfire-eu-china-trade-war-beijing-targets-dairy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Aug 2024 04:00:17 +0000 China has picked a seasoned diplomat with decades of US affairs experience to be its next top envoy to Germany, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Deng Hongbo is deputy director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, a primary body for shaping and coordinating China’s foreign policy. He will succeed Wu Ken as Beijing’s ambassador to Berlin. The nomination, which has not been made public, comes as bilateral ties are tested... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3273137/chinas-new-ambassador-germany-faces-ties-tested-spying-accusations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3273137/chinas-new-ambassador-germany-faces-ties-tested-spying-accusations?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Aug 2024 08:00:16 +0000 Businesses and governments in the European Union are pushing back against Brussels’ plan to screen private companies’ investments into China, casting doubt over the policy’s viability. The European Commission plan would “be a major interference in entrepreneurial decisions and international investment flows”, the Federation of German Industries (BDI) said in a written submission to the commission’s consultation on screening outbound investments into certain hi-tech sectors of the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3272253/eu-firms-resist-european-commission-plan-screen-private-investment-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3272253/eu-firms-resist-european-commission-plan-screen-private-investment-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jul 2024 04:00:13 +0000 The European Parliament’s expected shift to the right could complicate the EU’s trade ties with China and inject new uncertainties into the bloc’s approach towards Ukraine and the intensifying US-China rivalry, analysts said. A record number of right-wing politicians were elected to the parliament in early June in an election involving 373 million voters in 27 European Union countries. The centre-right European People’s Party, the party of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3268148/how-will-eus-shift-right-alter-china-trade-tech-and-other-elements-relationship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3268148/how-will-eus-shift-right-alter-china-trade-tech-and-other-elements-relationship?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jun 2024 02:30:20 +0000 The Chinese embassy in Spain has lodged a protest with Real Madrid, a football club that has millions of fans in China, after a blogger reported being subjected to racist and sexist remarks during a postgame street interview. “The remarks were vulgar and offensive in nature,” the embassy said in a statement on its website on Sunday. On June 2, a Chinese blogger on Showmi, a TikTok account about soccer culture, was conducting a post-match interview on the streets of Britain. The blogger called... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3266141/chinese-embassy-protests-real-madrid-after-fans-racist-and-sexist-video-interview?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3266141/chinese-embassy-protests-real-madrid-after-fans-racist-and-sexist-video-interview?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Jun 2024 07:35:20 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first state visits this year are all to European countries. Six months ago, I visited Europe four times, conducting research in nine countries including France, Serbia and Hungary, the three states on Xi’s itinerary. After conversations with more than 100 European friends, I feel that Europeans’ sense of autonomy is growing. This reinforces my belief that the US strategy of courting Europe to contain China is bound to fail. Two years after the Ukraine crisis began,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3261775/no-good-reason-europe-follow-us-china-containment-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3261775/no-good-reason-europe-follow-us-china-containment-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 May 2024 08:30:34 +0000