https://www.scmp.com/rss/521477/feed Ursula von der Leyen is a prominent German politician currently serving as President of the European Commission, a role she has held since 2019. She was re-elected for a second term in July 2024. Prior to this influential European position, she had a distinguished career in German federal politics, notably as Minister for Family Affairs and Youth (2005-2009), Minister for Labour and Social Affairs (2009-2013) and the first female Minister for Defence (2013-2019). A medical doctor by training,... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham In the days after the United States and Israel tipped the Middle East into a new and catastrophic crisis with their attacks on Iran, European leaders were all over the map. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz both voiced support for regime change in Iran soon after the strikes started more than four weeks ago. Each of them also questioned the continued utility of the international rules-based order, while Merz’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348402/europes-crisis-tourism-how-iran-war-swallowed-eus-geopolitical-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348402/europes-crisis-tourism-how-iran-war-swallowed-eus-geopolitical-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:00:11 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham To European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the ribbon of rail snaking from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia across Angola to the Atlantic port of Lobito is “more than just infrastructure”. The Lobito Corridor rail upgrade is a flagship project of the EU’s €300 billion (US$346 billion) infrastructure drive, Global Gateway, launched to great fanfare in 2021 as a rival to Beijing’s own Belt and Road Initiative. It is also pivotal to the EU’s efforts to wean itself off... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348330/eus-flagship-africa-project-under-fire-over-ties-chinese-state-owned-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348330/eus-flagship-africa-project-under-fire-over-ties-chinese-state-owned-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Sandra Marco Colino Sandra Marco Colino The European Union (EU) is a bystander in the Iran war, but it might end up sustaining significant collateral damage. On one hand, public opinion across Europe is opposed to a conflict that circumvents the core principles of international law. On the other, the continent remains deeply reliant on the United States for its energy and security needs. A definitive anti-war stance risks alienating President Donald Trump, leaving Europe strategically exposed. Talk about being caught between a rock... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347867/europes-response-iran-war-risks-becoming-its-darkest-hour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347867/europes-response-iran-war-risks-becoming-its-darkest-hour?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham After eight years in the deep freeze, the European Parliament is sending an official delegation to China next week in the clearest sign yet that Beijing’s targeted lobbying blitz of its members is paying off. Seven members from the parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) will travel to Beijing and Shanghai alongside Engin Eroglu, head of its China delegation. They will meet officials, customs and port authorities, lawmakers and companies, including Shein and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348098/european-parliament-heads-china-after-8-years-members-say-its-no-sign-giving?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348098/european-parliament-heads-china-after-8-years-members-say-its-no-sign-giving?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 05:55:21 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he can imagine a trade deal with China in the future, signalling a new softening stance towards Beijing in European capitals. “We have set quite a lot in motion when it comes to trade policy. I can also envisage further agreements, for example, in the longer term an agreement with the People’s Republic of China,” Merz said in the German parliament on Wednesday. Merz’s remarks underscore how surging trade and geopolitical tensions with Washington are... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348030/germanys-merz-floats-eu-china-trade-deal-capitals-soften-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348030/germanys-merz-floats-eu-china-trade-deal-capitals-soften-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:51 +0000 Reuters Reuters The European Commission will no longer submit a legal proposal to permanently ban Russian oil imports over Moscow’s war in Ukraine on April 15 as previously ‌planned, an updated EU legislative agenda showed on Tuesday. An EU official, however, said the proposal had not been cancelled and would still be published though no longer by the mid-April date due to “current geopolitical developments”. The US-Israeli war on Iran is creating the biggest oil supply disruption in history, according to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347756/eu-delays-proposal-permanently-ban-russian-oil-imports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347756/eu-delays-proposal-permanently-ban-russian-oil-imports?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:09:14 +0000 Agencies Agencies European Union experts have arrived in Ukraine to assess the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline, state energy firm Naftogaz said, after its closure in January caused a row with Hungary that is blocking an EU loan to Kyiv. The EU last week proposed sending a mission to inspect the pipeline. Ukraine later said it had accepted the EU offer of technical support and funding to restore oil flows through the damaged pipeline. Hungary and Slovakia have been cut off from Russian oil deliveries via... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347183/eu-inspects-druzhba-pipeline-bid-unclog-hungarys-block-ukraine-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347183/eu-inspects-druzhba-pipeline-bid-unclog-hungarys-block-ukraine-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 10:26:56 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham As the war in Iran tips the global order further into chaos, a potentially existential rupture on whether international rules still matter is threatening to tear Europe apart. Over the course of Monday and Tuesday, leaders of the European Union’s institutions – considered among the most legalistic political structures on the planet – clashed publicly over whether the bloc should still be bound by global norms. This followed more than a week of messy sparring among national political leaders from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346188/might-makes-right-rules-based-order-trial-europe-iran-war-deepens-divide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346188/might-makes-right-rules-based-order-trial-europe-iran-war-deepens-divide?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 05:59:24 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday said Europe’s turn away from nuclear power had been a “strategic mistake”, as soaring oil prices rekindled concerns about the bloc’s energy vulnerability. Speaking in Paris at a nuclear summit, which aims to boost the use of civilian nuclear energy, the European Commission president endorsed a return to atomic energy, saying the European Union would back investments in “innovative nuclear technologies”. “It was a strategic mistake for Europe to turn its... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346139/eu-eyes-nuclear-energy-again-oil-prices-soar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346139/eu-eyes-nuclear-energy-again-oil-prices-soar?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:10:06 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The EU must decide whether the rules-based international order “is more a help or a hindrance to our credibility as a geopolitical actor”, the bloc’s top official said on Monday, in the strongest sign yet that it might break from decades of rigid adherence to global norms. In a speech to the European Union’s ambassadors, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her most forceful rhetoric to date to call time on the old system, urging the diplomats to quickly update their thinking... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345980/get-realpolitik-von-der-leyen-questions-europes-faith-rules-based-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345980/get-realpolitik-von-der-leyen-questions-europes-faith-rules-based-order?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:27:49 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The European Union has been urged to weaponise its giant market to draw concessions from China, whose economic fragility is making it increasingly reliant on rich export markets. A new report from the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), the EU’s official think tank, said “China’s weakness creates opportunities” for the bloc to use its chokepoints and leverage to bring Beijing to the negotiating table in a credible way. With the United States rapidly narrowing for Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345862/weaponise-eu-market-against-china-or-face-manufacturing-collapse-official-think-tank?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345862/weaponise-eu-market-against-china-or-face-manufacturing-collapse-official-think-tank?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 20:30:08 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The European Union’s ambitious industrial policy to challenge China has been gutted, removing AI, semiconductors and quantum computing from a list of strategic technologies that must be “made in Europe” to tap billions in government funds. Biotechnology and robotics are other cutting-edge sectors to be cut from the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) ahead of the proposal’s formal unveiling by the European Commission on Wednesday, a leaked draft showed. Plans to exclude non-EU-based producers from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345311/eu-strips-ai-chips-and-quantum-industrial-plan-aimed-countering-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345311/eu-strips-ai-chips-and-quantum-industrial-plan-aimed-countering-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 13:51:51 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham,Xiaofei Xu Finbarr Bermingham,Xiaofei Xu The simmering war in the Middle East fractured Europe on Monday, as allies clashed, tempers flared and the shock waves from the US and Israeli bombing of Iran threatened to reverberate through the continent. The crisis exposed a familiar European fault line: while leaders insist they are the last guardians of the rules-based international order, they remain split over how to respond when allies bend or break those rules. With oil price spikes threatening to compound the European economic... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3345187/europe-divided-and-edge-us-israeli-attacks-iran-ripple-across-continent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3345187/europe-divided-and-edge-us-israeli-attacks-iran-ripple-across-continent?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 19:10:18 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado,Wendy Wu,Laura Zhou,Zhuang Pinghui Khushboo Razdan,Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado,Wendy Wu,Laura Zhou,Zhuang Pinghui Iran has confirmed the death of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in US and Israeli air strikes on the weekend, raising questions for the next leader of a country in a region bracing for further attacks. US President Donald Trump called Khamenei “one of the most evil people in history” and said the strikes delivered justice for Iranians, Americans and others “killed or mutilated” by him. As the US and Israeli attacks on Iran entered a second day, Tehran declared a seven-day public... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3344994/global-powers-divided-china-expresses-deep-concern-over-us-israel-strikes-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3344994/global-powers-divided-china-expresses-deep-concern-over-us-israel-strikes-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 14:48:19 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the four-year anniversary of the Ukraine war by accusing Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of trying to take over Ukraine, saying he had failed to achieve this and other war goals. In a video address that showed Ukrainians carrying out acts of resistance against Russian soldiers in the opening days of the conflict, Zelensky added that Ukraine was ready to do “everything” it could to secure a strong, lasting peace. Hundreds of thousands have died since Russia... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344478/4-years-ukraine-conflict-zelensky-says-russias-putin-did-not-win-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344478/4-years-ukraine-conflict-zelensky-says-russias-putin-did-not-win-war?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:29:35 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo US ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker must have mistaken China for his boss, Donald Trump. After all, it was the US president who kept saying he could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference last week, Whitaker claimed Beijing could stop Russia’s war in Ukraine in a day if it wanted to. “China could call Vladimir Putin and end this war tomorrow and cut off his dual-purpose technologies that they’re selling,” he said. “China could stop buying Russian oil... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3343643/china-and-un-are-not-problem-ukraine-and-palestine-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3343643/china-and-un-are-not-problem-ukraine-and-palestine-west?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:34:58 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham At a Munich Security Conference drinks reception last week, a seasoned Chinese delegate who has been coming to Bavaria for more than a decade said China had long felt like an observer on the periphery. China was mentioned mainly to be blamed, they said – but things flipped last year when, instead of taking Beijing to task, US Vice-President J.D. Vance targeted Europe. Later in the weekend, the event’s CEO Benedikt Franke praised the China Centre for Globalisation – a Beijing think tank – for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343639/transatlantic-divorce-plays-out-munich-china-enjoys-silence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343639/transatlantic-divorce-plays-out-munich-china-enjoys-silence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 13:11:47 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham A 16th-century Flemish castle is the setting on Thursday as European leaders try to resolve a set of economic tensions haunting Europe that are almost as old: the pull between free trade and protection, integration and sovereignty. On the agenda are prickly items such as how to kick-start the EU economy, whether to issue joint debt and how far to go with “buy Europe” provisions aimed at unpicking reliance on China and the United States. Seven years after European Commission President Ursula von... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343263/free-trade-or-fortress-europe-battle-soul-eu-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343263/free-trade-or-fortress-europe-battle-soul-eu-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 08:00:08 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji When India sealed a landmark free-trade pact with the European Union last month, Brussels’ top bureaucrat saw more than an economic deal taking shape. “India has risen and Europe is truly glad about it,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared. “Because when India succeeds, the world is more stable, more prosperous and more secure.” Her words were more than just a diplomatic nicety; they reflected a growing consensus in European capitals that India has become an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3342704/indias-trade-blitz-seeks-keep-sinking-global-order-afloat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3342704/indias-trade-blitz-seeks-keep-sinking-global-order-afloat?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Luuk van Middelaar is the director of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, a think tank he co-founded in 2022. A political theorist and historian by trade, he has written several books and was in the cabinet of the first European Council president, Herman Van Rompuy. Van Middelaar is widely read and cited across Europe for his analysis of the EU’s political evolution, with his books translated into many languages and awarded major European literary prizes. He writes regularly for leading... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/europe/article/3342456/historian-trumps-new-world-order-ukraine-war-and-europe-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/europe/article/3342456/historian-trumps-new-world-order-ukraine-war-and-europe-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 04:20:36 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Countries having cautious reliance on China while maintaining constructive engagement is essential to the future of globalisation in a world where trade is increasingly used as a weapon, according to Canada’s former deputy prime minister. “In a world where the weaponisation of trade is real, we need to be thoughtful about where we’re building economic dependencies,” Chrystia Freeland told the Peterson Institute for International Economics during a discussion about the securitisation of trade and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342437/future-globalisation-less-economic-dependency-china-freeland-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342437/future-globalisation-less-economic-dependency-china-freeland-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:02:35 +0000 Jeffrey Wu Jeffrey Wu As global trade fragments and tariffs return, economic power is increasingly defined not by financial scale alone, but by productive strength. At the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, leaders spoke openly about a harsher world order. Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng warned that trade wars have no winners. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a new security architecture amid rising protectionism. French President Emmanuel Macron described a world becoming more... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341850/us-china-rivalry-great-powers-dont-make-things-wont-be-great-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341850/us-china-rivalry-great-powers-dont-make-things-wont-be-great-long?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Kashif Hasan Khan Kashif Hasan Khan The India–EU trade agreement marks a significant moment in the development of the global political economy. Described by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as the “mother of all deals”, the agreement links one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies with the world’s biggest single market. Yet, within hours of Brussels and New Delhi announcing their “strategic partnership”, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused the EU of putting trade ahead of the Ukrainian people.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3341765/how-india-eu-trade-agreement-undermines-us-economic-coercion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3341765/how-india-eu-trade-agreement-undermines-us-economic-coercion?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 21:30:11 +0000 Syed Munir Khasru Syed Munir Khasru Today, double-digit tariffs imposed by the United States are the new baseline. Breaking decades of low single digits norms, the US rolled out a “reciprocal tariff” framework in April 2025, setting a 10 per cent baseline and layering on higher rates for specific countries. Embedded in the US’ national security strategy, this reorientation leaves little scope for a full rollback and turns global trade into a test of power: of whether World Trade Organization (WTO) rules still bind or leverage now... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341496/trumps-tariffs-reveal-hidden-fault-lines-global-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341496/trumps-tariffs-reveal-hidden-fault-lines-global-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Xiaofei Xu,Finbarr Bermingham Xiaofei Xu,Finbarr Bermingham After nearly two decades of efforts, the European Union and India have formally concluded negotiations in New Delhi for a free-trade deal, shoring up the 27-member bloc’s ambitions to diversify trade ties while navigating tariff pressure from Washington and a ballooning deficit with Beijing. The agreement, announced on Tuesday and praised by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen as “the mother of all trade deals”, is poised to reduce or eliminate tariffs on 96.6 per cent of the EU’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3341524/historic-eu-india-trade-deal-slash-auto-tariffs-double-blocs-india-exports-2032?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3341524/historic-eu-india-trade-deal-slash-auto-tariffs-double-blocs-india-exports-2032?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma For decades, the US dollar has served as the currency of global reserve, the de facto anchor for the vast majority of international exchanges. Consequently, United States government debt – most commonly in the form of Treasury assets such as bonds, notes and bills – has long been regarded as a safe haven by investors, prized for its unmatched liquidity and deep market penetration. That faith has remained strong in the past, even amid global financial crises. But the events of recent weeks... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3341391/age-trump-are-safe-haven-us-assets-not-so-safe-any-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3341391/age-trump-are-safe-haven-us-assets-not-so-safe-any-more?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 22:00:13 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji India and the European Union on Tuesday announced a long-awaited free trade agreement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as the “mother of all deals”, as both sides moved to strengthen economic ties in a global trade order unsettled by rising US protectionism. The pact, once implemented, is expected to create one of the world’s largest trading blocs and deepen commercial links between the EU’s 27 member states and the world’s most populous country. The deal would cut or eliminate... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3341434/india-eu-make-history-they-seal-trade-pact-amid-us-tariff-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3341434/india-eu-make-history-they-seal-trade-pact-amid-us-tariff-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 11:10:35 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham If there was a sense of panic gripping European leaders at last week’s conclave of elites at the World Economic Forum, they could be forgiven a moment of relief as they departed the snowy peaks of Davos. That was not only because US President Donald Trump used a long, rambling speech to rule out taking the Danish territory of Greenland by force. Nor was it just the meeting on the sidelines with Nato chief Mark Rutte, which produced a formula to defuse immediate tensions by designating US... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341242/table-or-menu-europe-wakes-world-without-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341242/table-or-menu-europe-wakes-world-without-order?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 22:00:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The EU on Monday hit Elon Musk’s X with an investigation over AI chatbot Grok’s generation of sexualised deepfake images of women and minors, in the latest step of an international backlash against the tool. Grok faces an outcry after it emerged that users could sexualise images of women and children using simple text prompts such as “put her in a bikini” or “remove her clothes”. “In Europe, we will not tolerate unthinkable behaviour, such as digital undressing of women and children,” said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341286/eu-opens-probe-elon-musks-grok-over-sexual-ai-deepfakes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341286/eu-opens-probe-elon-musks-grok-over-sexual-ai-deepfakes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 11:50:35 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse European Council president Antonio Costa arrived in India on Sunday, as the EU and New Delhi seek to seal a free-trade pact, capping nearly two decades of negotiations between the economic behemoths. Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are chief guests for this year’s Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on Monday before the 16th EU-India summit on Tuesday, where they hope to shake hands on the accord, described as the “mother of all deals”. “The summit will be an... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3341165/eu-envoys-top-guests-india-celebration-seal-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3341165/eu-envoys-top-guests-india-celebration-seal-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 11:01:02 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo The way Lord Ismay, the first Nato chief, summarised the purpose of the Western military alliance – “Keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down” – became one of the great political aphorisms of the 20th century. Mark Rutte, the current Nato secretary general, is still following it. Perhaps he has yet to receive a memo telling him it’s now a very different century with vastly changed circumstances. Today, the Russians are in, the Americans are out, and the Germans are, well,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3341163/trump-threatens-greenland-nato-chief-says-china-real-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3341163/trump-threatens-greenland-nato-chief-says-china-real-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 10:51:56 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial For decades, the World Economic Forum was the ultimate symbol of globalisation. This week, we may have witnessed the end of that symbolism as the so-called rules-based order looks to be crumbling. US President Donald Trump flew into Davos and held forth on his view of the world, promptly starting a clash with long-standing American allies hoping for some semblance of sense and order. From Canada and Greenland to Ukraine, from trade preferences to tariffs, Trump demanded his pound of flesh from... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3340863/trumps-antics-davos-eroding-last-shred-trust-us-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3340863/trumps-antics-davos-eroding-last-shred-trust-us-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 23:15:11 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji India and the European Union are stepping up a long-delayed push for a free-trade agreement as New Delhi prepares to host the bloc’s top leaders later this month, with both sides signalling urgency amid mounting pressure from US tariffs and a shifting global order. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a speech at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, said she would be travelling to India after the conference, adding that the two sides were “on the cusp of a historic trade... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3340868/india-eu-ramp-push-historic-free-trade-deal-amid-us-tariff-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3340868/india-eu-ramp-push-historic-free-trade-deal-amid-us-tariff-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 10:45:48 +0000 Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan,Xinmei Shen Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan,Xinmei Shen There was moderate relief after US President Donald Trump walked back his threat to take Greenland by force on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, but also concern among critics and lawmakers that his speech was little more than a diversion at a time of significant global peril. Attendees watching in the Davos Congress Centre and millions tuned in around the world received a full dose of unfettered Trump as, during his 70-minute speech, he slammed Nato member Denmark for not... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3340748/trumps-freewheeling-davos-speech-draws-unease-allies-and-critics-alike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3340748/trumps-freewheeling-davos-speech-draws-unease-allies-and-critics-alike?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 20:44:53 +0000 Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan,Holly Chik Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan,Holly Chik Following what he called a “very productive” meeting with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States has established the framework for a future agreement concerning Greenland and the broader Arctic region. “This solution, if finalised, will be a great one for the United States of America and all Nato nations,” Trump said on Wednesday, adding that, based on this understanding, he will not impose the tariffs originally scheduled for February... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3340743/donald-trumps-davos-speech-greenland-plan-xi-friendship-chinas-smart-energy-sales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3340743/donald-trumps-davos-speech-greenland-plan-xi-friendship-chinas-smart-energy-sales?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:48:42 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Europe must respond to US threats over Greenland and China’s industrial excesses, or else “passively accept … vassalisation and bloc politics”, French President Emmanuel Macron warned in a speech at Davos on Tuesday. Macron warned of the “brutalisation of the world”, as he urged the use of the EU’s most powerful trade weapon in response to US President Donald Trump’s threat to slap tariffs on European countries who last week sent troops to Greenland. Trump has pledged to make the giant Arctic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340612/brutalisation-world-macron-urges-europe-hit-back-against-trumps-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340612/brutalisation-world-macron-urges-europe-hit-back-against-trumps-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:39:06 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu China delivered a message of free trade, multilateralism, cooperation and dialogue at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday as the world, including the host continent Europe, grapples with increasingly aggressive moves from Washington. “Everyone should be equal before the rules; a very small number of countries should not enjoy the privilege of pursuing their own selfish interests. The world must not return to the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak,” Vice-Premier He Lifeng... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3340581/chinas-he-lifeng-warns-against-law-jungle-davos-trump-roils-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3340581/chinas-he-lifeng-warns-against-law-jungle-davos-trump-roils-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:44:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Key allies reacted coolly on Monday to US President Donald Trump’s invite to pay US$1 billion for a permanent spot on his “Board of Peace” for resolving international conflicts, with analysts likening it to a pay-to-play version of the UN Security Council. The White House has asked various world leaders to sit on the board, chaired by Trump himself, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian premier Viktor Orban and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The board’s charter, seen by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340480/allies-tepid-trumps-board-peace-invited-leaders-wondering-how-it-will-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340480/allies-tepid-trumps-board-peace-invited-leaders-wondering-how-it-will-work?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:16:21 +0000 Reuters Reuters Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on ‍Saturday that this week’s Trump administration announcement on the composition of a Gaza executive board was not coordinated with Israel and ran counter to ⁠government policy. It said Foreign Minister Gideon Saar would raise the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The statement did not specify what part of the board’s composition contradicted ‍Israeli policy. An Israeli government spokesperson declined to comment. The board, unveiled... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340285/israel-objects-composition-trump-led-gaza-board-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340285/israel-objects-composition-trump-led-gaza-board-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 18:05:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse South American and European Union officials on Saturday signed a major trade deal, which they hailed as sending a powerful message at a time of tariff threats, global uncertainty and protectionism. The deal between the 27-nation European Union and Mercosur bloc members Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay creates one of the world’s largest free trade areas after 25 years of tricky negotiations. It was given fresh impetus amid the sweeping use of tariffs and trade threats by US President... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3340259/south-american-bloc-eu-sign-long-awaited-fta-amid-trumps-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3340259/south-american-bloc-eu-sign-long-awaited-fta-amid-trumps-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 09:31:45 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Hua Chunying, China’s foreign vice-minister, beamed this week as she presented a leading Czech lawmaker with a decorative porcelain plate – a gift that signalled a possible thaw in ties between Prague and Beijing. The image sent tongues wagging in Europe: a symbol that a new Chinese charm offensive towards a Europe jilted by its erstwhile ally across the Atlantic had reached even its most hawkish capitals. China has spent the opening weeks of the year courting European governments, offering... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340190/chinas-charm-offensive-beijing-bypasses-brussels-bid-soften-eu-trade-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340190/chinas-charm-offensive-beijing-bypasses-brussels-bid-soften-eu-trade-push?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 15:00:15 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s first visit to Asia has raised India’s hopes for a long-awaited trade pact with the European Union as Berlin pushes for deeper engagement with South Asia amid heightened global tensions. Merz began his two-day visit to India on Monday by paying homage to India’s founding father Mahatma Gandhi at his ashram, or place of meditation, in Ahmedabad before joining counterpart Narendra Modi at a traditional kite festival, where the two flew kites together from an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339750/germanys-merz-pledges-fast-track-india-eu-trade-deal-during-first-official-asia-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339750/germanys-merz-pledges-fast-track-india-eu-trade-deal-during-first-official-asia-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 09:46:52 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Grandstanding, self-righteous and hypocritical, what can possibly go wrong with the European Union under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas? For a superstate bloc that supposedly stands for the rule of law, human rights and international justice, Brussels has given the lamest excuse of a response to the murderous American raid in Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. European Commission President von der Leyen said the bloc was “closely... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3339511/days-eu-and-nato-may-be-numbered-under-von-der-leyen-and-kallas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3339511/days-eu-and-nato-may-be-numbered-under-von-der-leyen-and-kallas?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 14:15:08 +0000 dpa dpa A majority of European Union countries gave the go-ahead on Friday for the bloc to sign the Mercosur free trade deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay after decades of negotiations. At a meeting of representatives from the 27 EU countries in Brussels, a sufficient number of participants agreed to the planned signing of the deal, diplomatic sources said. The new free-trade zone, with more than 700 million inhabitants, will be the largest of its kind in the world, according to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339395/eu-agrees-worlds-largest-free-trade-zone-mercosur-pact-after-25-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339395/eu-agrees-worlds-largest-free-trade-zone-mercosur-pact-after-25-years?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 13:59:56 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bulgaria became the 21st country to switch to the euro as it entered the new year on Thursday, a milestone met with both cheers and fears, nearly 20 years after the Balkan nation joined the European Union. At midnight, Bulgaria gave up the lev currency, which has been in use since the late 19th century, and Bulgarian euro coins were projected onto the central bank’s building. Successive governments in the country of 6.4 million people have advocated joining the euro, hoping that it will boost... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338363/bulgaria-becomes-21st-country-adopt-euro-historic-milestone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338363/bulgaria-becomes-21st-country-adopt-euro-historic-milestone?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 03:24:25 +0000 Junjie Wang Junjie Wang Subscribers: The Daily Pulse won’t be published December 24-26. We resume publication on Monday, December 29. Merry Christmas! As 2025 comes to a close, SCMP Plus is looking back at the year’s highlights, starting with the 10 most read editions of Daily Pulse, our five-times-a-week briefing about the key China-related issue of the day. #10 US-China talks | Europe win on rare earths | Politburo (July 25) The gist: The US and China were readying for a third round of trade talks in Stockholm to... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3335772/10-most-read-daily-pulse-briefings-2025?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3335772/10-most-read-daily-pulse-briefings-2025?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 09:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Vladimir Putin is ready to talk to France’s Emmanuel Macron over the war in Ukraine, the Russian president’s spokesman said in an interview published on Sunday. Putin has “expressed readiness to engage in dialogue with Macron”, Dmitry Peskov told state news agency RIA Novosti. “Therefore, if there is mutual political will, then this can only be assessed positively.” Macron said this week he believed Europe should reach back out to Putin over ending the war. “I believe that it’s in our interest... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3337214/russia-says-putin-open-ukraine-war-talks-frances-macron?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3337214/russia-says-putin-open-ukraine-war-talks-frances-macron?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 05:20:05 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Late last year, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen began her second term in office, a giant purple banner was draped over the side of the EU executive arm’s headquarters, declaring: “United for our Future, 2024-2029.” While unity among the EU’s 27 member states has always been elusive, it has rarely been more critical. Its leaders will gather on Thursday to try to round off the year with a collective bang, but there is growing fear it will end with a series of disparate... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336817/after-year-shocks-europe-faces-crunch-talks-ukraine-china-and-its-economic-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336817/after-year-shocks-europe-faces-crunch-talks-ukraine-china-and-its-economic-future?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 06:00:12 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo For the philosopher Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, everything is “geist”, which could be translated as either mind or spirit. So everything is either mindful, spiritual or mental, depending on your preferred translation. He calls institutions “objective spirit”. This is because ideas are only “subjective” when they are stuck in people’s heads or in books. Once those ideas are realised, for example, in forms of governments and social institutions, they become objectified and take on a concrete reality,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3336432/russia-will-end-european-union-not-other-way-around?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3336432/russia-will-end-european-union-not-other-way-around?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 12:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse World leaders voiced horror and revulsion at Sunday’s mass shooting in which 15 people were killed and dozens injured at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the “shocking and distressing” attack, which Australian police are calling a “terrorist” incident, was “beyond comprehension”, after assailants fired on a gathering celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog condemned what he called a “very cruel attack on Jews” by “vile... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336413/world-leaders-express-horror-bondi-beach-terror-attack-vigils-are-held-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336413/world-leaders-express-horror-bondi-beach-terror-attack-vigils-are-held-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 21:49:55 +0000