https://www.scmp.com/rss/522367/feed The European Council: A prominent Brussels-based supranational intergovernmental body, the European Council defines the European Union’s overall political direction and priorities. Comprising EU heads of state or government, its President, and the European Commission President, it represents the highest level of political cooperation. Its main activities include setting the EU’s political agenda, addressing complex issues, and shaping common foreign and security policy. Recognised as a... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The appeal of a trip to Europe, to gaze at historic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, to ski in the Alps or sunbathe on a Greek beach, is well known to travellers. One of the attractions has long been the ease with which borders can be crossed. But while the war in Iran has disrupted travel around the world, a new source of potential woe for visitors to Europe has just kicked in. Non-EU nationals must now register their biometric data on arrival. This controversial move has been almost a decade... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3351439/new-entry-system-non-eu-residents-chipping-away-europes-image?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3351439/new-entry-system-non-eu-residents-chipping-away-europes-image?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 15:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday there was no prospect of Ukraine’s “immediate accession” to the EU, but suggested Kyiv could join meetings of the bloc’s members without voting rights. Ukraine is pushing to speed up its bid to join the 27-nation European Union as it fights Russia’s invasion on the battlefield. Kyiv’s progress has been blocked by Hungary’s nationalist premier Viktor Orban, but his defeat in elections earlier this month raised hopes it can move to the next step. EU... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351383/germanys-merz-says-no-immediate-ukraine-eu-membership-floats-kyiv-joining-meetings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351383/germanys-merz-says-no-immediate-ukraine-eu-membership-floats-kyiv-joining-meetings?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:48:35 +0000 Xiaofei Xu,Finbarr Bermingham Xiaofei Xu,Finbarr Bermingham Chinese railway giant CRRC has been forced out of a Lisbon metro contract in favour of a Polish firm, after a European Commission investigation found that foreign subsidies allowed CRRC to underbid rivals. “The in-depth investigation confirmed these preliminary findings, revealing that the subsidies in question had indeed given the consortium an unfair competitive edge, to the detriment of other bidders taking part in the tender and the integrity of the EU’s internal market,” the European... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350912/chinas-crrc-drops-bid-lisbon-metro-deal-eu-finds-billions-subsidies-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350912/chinas-crrc-drops-bid-lisbon-metro-deal-eu-finds-billions-subsidies-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:36:39 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse EU’s top court ruled on Tuesday that anti-LGBTQ legislation Hungary enacted in 2021 breached the bloc’s rules, including an article which sets out the fundamental values on which the EU is founded. The European Commission, 16 of 27 member states and the European Parliament took Hungary to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over the law, in what has been billed as the largest human rights case in the bloc’s history. Originally aimed at toughening punishments for child abuse, the law was amended... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350888/hungarys-anti-lgbtq-law-breaches-eu-rules-court-ruling-hailed-historic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350888/hungarys-anti-lgbtq-law-breaches-eu-rules-court-ruling-hailed-historic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:58:55 +0000 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 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Sven Biscop is a Belgian political scientist and strategist specialising in the foreign affairs and security of the EU and its relations with great powers. He is a director at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels and a professor at Ghent University. He is also a senior research fellow at Renmin University in Beijing, where he teaches in the summer. Biscop is the author of many books, including 2024’s This Is Not a New World Order: Europe Rediscovers Geopolitics,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350626/saying-youre-geopolitical-actor-doesnt-make-it-so-sven-biscop-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350626/saying-youre-geopolitical-actor-doesnt-make-it-so-sven-biscop-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 22:00:19 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham At a top-level meeting of her 26 department chiefs in March, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen quietly approved a plan to stop EU funds from going to clean technology projects containing Chinese inverters. Inverters are the essential power electronics at the heart of solar and wind systems. Industry groups estimate that Chinese companies led by Huawei Technologies control more than 220 gigawatts of Europe’s installed solar capacity via the devices. The commission wants to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350056/eu-cut-funding-chinese-inverters-quiet-offensive-replaces-grandstanding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350056/eu-cut-funding-chinese-inverters-quiet-offensive-replaces-grandstanding?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:01:18 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham A long-awaited EU debate on China has been shelved in favour of the Middle East crisis, highlighting how Europe is struggling to treat Beijing as a strategic priority despite mounting economic pressure. The European Commission’s security college was set to meet this coming Monday to debate the challenges posed by Beijing, as part of what officials were referring to internally as “China week”. It would have been the first strategic discussion among the bloc’s 27 commissioners under President... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349548/china-sidelined-eu-shelves-rare-strategy-debate-middle-east-crisis-takes-priority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349548/china-sidelined-eu-shelves-rare-strategy-debate-middle-east-crisis-takes-priority?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:00:27 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Fifa raised its top ticket price for the World Cup final to US$10,990 during the glitch-hampered reopening of sales on Wednesday after the 48-team field for this year’s tournament was finalised. The price had been US$8,680 when Fifa sold tickets after the tournament draw in December. Fifa’s category two tickets for the July 19 game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, were US$7,380, up from US$5,575, and category three cost US$5,785, an increase from US$4,185. Tickets were listed... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3348781/fifa-raises-top-ticket-price-world-cup-final-us8680-us10990-sales-reopen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3348781/fifa-raises-top-ticket-price-world-cup-final-us8680-us10990-sales-reopen?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 07:25:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iran has the “necessary will” to end the war with the US and Israel, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday, stressing that Tehran was seeking guarantees the conflict would not flare up again. The comment by the head of state – which boosted markets in the US – came after a day of heavy strikes on Iran and followed a tough warning from the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Guards threatened to retaliate against leading US tech firms such as Google, Meta and Apple from... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348588/iran-says-it-has-will-end-war-trump-zigzags-escalation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348588/iran-says-it-has-will-end-war-trump-zigzags-escalation?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:10:00 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham European governments breathed a sigh of relief in October when the US and China sealed a fragile trade truce that paused more sweeping Chinese rare earth restrictions and papered over a Sino-Dutch row over chipmaker Nexperia. Now, however, the European Union is being urged to come up with a battle plan should the ceasefire fail or expire. A spike in superpower tensions could expose the EU to Chinese export controls, potentially pulverising its military support for Ukraine, its own efforts to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348494/europe-urged-learn-fight-itself-case-us-china-truce-collapses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348494/europe-urged-learn-fight-itself-case-us-china-truce-collapses?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 07:00:10 +0000 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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Football Supporters Europe (FSE) group filed a lawsuit on Tuesday with the European Commission against football’s world governing body Fifa over “excessive ticket prices” for this year’s World Cup finals. “Euroconsumers and Football Supporters Europe (FSE) have filed a formal complaint with the European Commission against Fifa, alleging that the football body has abused its monopoly position to impose excessive ticket prices and opaque and unfair purchasing conditions and processes on... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3347746/supporters-group-files-lawsuit-against-excessive-fifa-2026-world-cup-ticket-prices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3347746/supporters-group-files-lawsuit-against-excessive-fifa-2026-world-cup-ticket-prices?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:00:15 +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 Reuters Reuters European Union leaders failed to convince Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Thursday to lift his blockade on a €90 billion (US$103 billion) EU loan to help Ukraine keep up its fight against Russia’s invasion. After a summit in Brussels, several leaders voiced deep frustration with Orban, who has cited a dispute over a war-damaged pipeline to justify blocking the implementation of the loan agreed back in December. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused Orban - who maintains cordial ties... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347233/eu-leaders-clash-hungarys-orban-blocking-ukraine-loan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347233/eu-leaders-clash-hungarys-orban-blocking-ukraine-loan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 02:27:20 +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 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu Turbulence in the global oil market caused by the war in Iran revealed a quiet shift that could reshape global energy security: the rapid rise of electric vehicles. Global uptake of electric vehicle fleets has led to avoided oil consumption rising to the equivalent of 70 per cent of Iran’s exports in 2025, according to a new report. Last year, EVs worldwide saved 1.7 million barrels of oil consumption per day. During the same timeframe, Iran exported 2.4 million barrels of oil through the Strait... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346961/global-ev-uptake-expected-accelerate-iran-war-causes-worldwide-petrol-price-hikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346961/global-ev-uptake-expected-accelerate-iran-war-causes-worldwide-petrol-price-hikes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 10:31:17 +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 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Since Iran came under US and Israeli attack on Saturday, its retaliatory missile and drone barrages have struck Saudi oil refineries, the world’s largest LNG plant in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates’ trade and transit infrastructure. Now the Gulf is signalling it has had enough of just absorbing the hits. None of the six Arab monarchies of the Gulf Cooperation Council wanted this war, analysts say. They had spent months trying to mediate a way out of the confrontation, warning of precisely... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345259/gulf-states-take-fight-iran-missiles-target-oil-gas-and-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345259/gulf-states-take-fight-iran-missiles-target-oil-gas-and-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 07:47:50 +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 dpa dpa Norway’s former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland has been admitted to hospital due to the stress caused by the Epstein scandal, the NTB news agency and others cited his lawyer as saying on Tuesday. Jagland is one of the most prominent figures to have been implicated by the release of files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Norwegian authorities are investigating allegations of serious corruption. The former top politician is said to have stayed at Epstein’s apartments in Paris and New... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344532/norways-former-prime-minister-hospital-following-epstein-files-disclosures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344532/norways-former-prime-minister-hospital-following-epstein-files-disclosures?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 02:43:15 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The European Union’s trade chief Maros Sefcovic has railed against the bloc’s glacial trade defences, warning that years-long probes and rigid rules will not protect the bloc from China’s increasingly fierce export machine. Speaking in the European Parliament on Tuesday, Sefcovic lashed out at Beijing’s “unsustainable” trade surplus and called for an urgent overhaul of world trading rules to account for “overcapacities”, “unfair trade policies” and “state subsidies”. He confirmed, meanwhile,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344517/eu-too-slow-act-china-rewrites-global-trade-rules-trade-chief-sefcovic-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344517/eu-too-slow-act-china-rewrites-global-trade-rules-trade-chief-sefcovic-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 18:55:55 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Hungary threatened to block a new package of European Union sanctions against Russia and to stall efforts to help Ukraine until Russian oil deliveries to Hungary resume. The EU’s foreign ministers are set to meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss the bloc’s 20th round of sanctions against Moscow, a measure they hope will be approved in time to coincide with the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday. In a video posted to social media on Sunday, Hungarian Foreign Minister... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344273/hungary-spoils-eu-attempt-russia-sanctions-package-over-oil-flows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344273/hungary-spoils-eu-attempt-russia-sanctions-package-over-oil-flows?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 14:19:20 +0000 Alex Capri Alex Capri 2026 has begun with a worsening trust deficit, as geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China ruptures the international system. Much of this mistrust stems from an escalating technology race. At centre stage is artificial intelligence – the foundational technology for virtually all industries, from hyper-scaled computer networks and data centres to self-learning “cognitive” machines and advanced semiconductor production. The US and China now face a prisoner’s dilemma in military... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3344163/who-will-save-world-us-china-ai-arms-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3344163/who-will-save-world-us-china-ai-arms-race?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 05:00:08 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The European Commission has opened an investigation into Chinese online retailer Shein over, among other things, the alleged sale of “child sexual abuse material” – a move that could see the firm banned from the EU market as a last resort. The probe, launched on Tuesday under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), will look into the systems the Singapore-based company has in place to limit the sale of illegal products. As a next step, the commission will ask Shein for further information and... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343833/chinese-e-commerce-giant-shein-could-face-eu-ban-over-childlike-sex-dolls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343833/chinese-e-commerce-giant-shein-could-face-eu-ban-over-childlike-sex-dolls?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:14:09 +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 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters A Hong Kong court sentenced former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying to 20 years in prison on Monday for violating the national security law, closing a chapter on what has become a geopolitical flashpoint between China and the West. In a hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes at West Kowloon Court, three High Court judges handed down penalties to Lai, six senior executives of his Apple Daily tabloid-style newspaper, three companies associated with the now-defunct outlet and two activists. Lai,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3342862/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-faces-sentencing-national-security-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3342862/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-faces-sentencing-national-security-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 01:45:58 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Canada and France, which both oppose US President Donald Trump’s claim to Greenland, opened consulates in the Danish autonomous territory’s capital on Friday, in a show of support for the local government. Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has insisted that Washington needs to control the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island for security reasons. Trump last month backed off threats to seize Greenland after saying he had struck a “framework” deal with Nato chief Mark Rutte to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342736/canada-and-france-open-greenland-consulates-show-support-amid-trump-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342736/canada-and-france-open-greenland-consulates-show-support-amid-trump-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 20:54:04 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham TikTok’s “addictive design” has been found to violate EU digital laws – in a move that could land the Chinese-owned company a fine of up to 6 per cent of its global revenue. Preliminary findings of the European Commission investigation, announced on Friday, said the video app’s infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and “highly personalised” recommender systems had addictive properties. Brussels wanted TikTok to change the basic design of its service, it said, including disabling some of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342692/eu-finds-tiktok-addictive-digital-law-probe-6-fine-looms-bytedance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342692/eu-finds-tiktok-addictive-digital-law-probe-6-fine-looms-bytedance?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 11:09:59 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu China has criticised the European Commission’s anti-subsidy probe into Chinese wind turbine maker Goldwind Science & Technology as “targeted” and “discriminatory”, warning that such measures would undermine Chinese companies’ confidence in the European market and disrupt the bloc’s green transition. “The European side’s related investigations have generalised the concept of ‘foreign subsidies’ and have many problems, such as insufficient evidence for opening cases and a lack of procedural... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342444/china-slams-eu-probe-wind-turbine-maker-goldwind-discriminatory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342444/china-slams-eu-probe-wind-turbine-maker-goldwind-discriminatory?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 02:23:58 +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 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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse “Assemble!” someone bellowed in the prison corridor, cutting through the silence. Murmurs began echoing off the white walls, and the stairwells filled with people from all over the world: Egyptians, Chinese, Cameroonians, Kenyans, an Italian - all soldiers captured fighting for Russia, now held in a Ukrainian jail. Some joined the Russian military in search of a better life or to escape their home countries, while others were persuaded by Russia’s war aims. Some say they were tricked or forced... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341825/foreign-pows-who-fought-russia-now-stuck-ukraine-prison-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341825/foreign-pows-who-fought-russia-now-stuck-ukraine-prison-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 08:24:50 +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 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings China is approaching the United States in terms of overall world power including economic mettle, a former European Commission leader and Portuguese prime minister said this week. The United States remains the “most important global power” but China is getting closer, said Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, the European Commission president from 2004 to 2014, pointing to US technology and finance among other aspects of its prominence. “China comes every time closer, from my point of view,” Durao Barroso... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341334/china-coming-closer-us-global-power-european-ex-leader-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341334/china-coming-closer-us-global-power-european-ex-leader-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 06:31:36 +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