TOPIC

/ people

Ursula von der Leyen

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, her leadership at the Commission has focused on initiatives like the European Green Deal and coordinating the EU’s response to global challenges.

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz (middle) shakes hands with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of an informal meeting of the European Council, in Ayia Napa on Thursday. Photo: AFP

European Union

Germany’s Merz says no ‘immediate’ Ukraine EU membership

There is little appetite to fast track Kyiv to full membership in the EU – causing some to pitch possible interim benefits in the meantime.

24 Apr 2026 - 11:48PMvideocam

China-EU relations

Open Questions | ‘Saying you’re a geopolitical actor doesn’t make it so’: Sven Biscop on Europe

20 Apr 2026 - 10:05AMvideocam

European Union

EU unveils age-check app amid efforts to better protect children online

15 Apr 2026 - 8:15PM

China-EU relations

Exclusive | EU to cut funding for Chinese inverters amid change of tack towards Beijing

Without fanfare, Brussels will stop funding for projects that use the Chinese-made devices as part of a ‘do more, say less’ strategy.

25 Apr 2026 - 5:14AMvideocam

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: Reuters

China-EU relations

China sidelined: EU shelves rare debate as Middle East crisis takes priority

Delay risks entrenching a policy vacuum as member states diverge and Brussels struggles to evolve its approach.

9 Apr 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

China-EU relations

Europe’s crisis tourism: how the Iran war swallowed the EU’s geopolitical agenda

From trade with China to the Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock, Brussels’ agenda has been repeatedly knocked off course.

31 Mar 2026 - 6:03AMvideocam

China-EU relations

EU’s flagship Africa project under fire over ties to Chinese state-owned firms

Lawmakers demand to know where over US$2.3 billion in funds is going in venture meant to wean off Beijing’s critical minerals chokehold.

31 Mar 2026 - 11:48PMvideocam

Workers direct lorry traffic in Tenke Fungurume Mine, one of the largest copper and cobalt mines in the world, in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: AFP

European Union

Opinion | Europe’s response to Iran war risks becoming its ‘darkest hour’

By prevaricating on US aggression, Brussels risks forfeiting new partnerships that could help reduce its reliance on Washington.

29 Mar 2026 - 8:30PM

China-EU relations

European Parliament heads to China after 8 years and lobbying from Beijing

Chair of consumer protection delegation due in China next week wants to convey ‘that our rules on product standards are to be followed’.

27 Mar 2026 - 6:12PMvideocam

China-Germany relations

Germany’s Merz floats EU-China trade deal as European capitals soften on Beijing

Remarks urging ‘strategic partnerships around the world’ underscore how tensions with the US are inducing a more accommodating stance.

26 Mar 2026 - 8:31PMvideocam

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on February 25. Photo: dpa

European Union

EU delays proposal to permanently ban Russian oil imports

The proposal is not cancelled, but would no longer be published by April 15 due to ‘current geopolitical developments’.

24 Mar 2026 - 10:09PMvideocam

The Druzhba oil pipeline between Hungary and Russia at the Hungarian MOL Group’s Danube Refinery in Szazhalombatta, Hungary. Photo: Reuters

European Union

EU inspects Druzhba pipeline in bid to unclog Hungary’s block on Ukraine aid

Hungarian leader Viktor Orban has vetoed giving Ukraine its promised US$103 billion EU loan until Russian oil supply is resumed.

19 Mar 2026 - 6:26PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Rules-based order on trial in Europe as Iran war deepens divide

EU leaders have clashed over whether the bloc should still be bound by global norms as Mideast conflict reshapes the geopolitical landscape.

11 Mar 2026 - 1:59PMvideocam

European Union

EU eyes nuclear energy again as oil prices soar amid Iran war

It was ‘a mistake’ to turn away from ‘a reliable, affordable source of low-emission power’, says EU chief, amid new funding - and protesters.

11 Mar 2026 - 1:39AMvideocam

A motorist fills up his car at a petrol station in France on Monday. Photo: AFP

China-EU relations

Get realpolitik? Von der Leyen questions Europe’s faith in rules-based order

The EU must become more realistic and interest-driven to keep up with the new world order, bloc chief says.

10 Mar 2026 - 4:57PMvideocam

Preparations are already under way for a “European Security Strategy”, an approach that will be the cornerstone of Ursula von der Leyen’s vision. Photo: Reuters

China-EU relations

Weaponise EU market against China or face manufacturing collapse: official think tank

Beijing’s ‘weakness creates opportunities’ for bloc to use chokepoints and leverage for negotiations, researchers say.

9 Mar 2026 - 3:23PMvideocam

China-EU relations

EU strips AI, chips and quantum from industrial plan aimed at countering China

Leaked draft shows biotechnology and robotics are other cutting-edge sectors to be cut from Industrial Accelerator Act ahead of unveiling.

4 Mar 2026 - 1:16AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Europe divided, on edge as US-Israel strikes on Iran ripple across the continent

Cyprus hit, oil prices jump and EU leaders clash over legality, regime change and Washington’s role in the widening conflict.

3 Mar 2026 - 6:05AMvideocam

The gate of the British Royal Air Force air base after it was struck by a drone earlier in the morning near Limassol, Cyprus, on Monday. Photo: AP

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump threatens more hits, Khamenei dead and Israel mounts new attacks

Beijing says the killing of Iran’s supreme leader is ‘a grave violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security’.

2 Mar 2026 - 12:40AMvideocam

273

Ukraine war

4 years into Ukraine conflict, Zelensky says Putin ‘did not win this war’

The president said Kyiv wanted ‘lasting peace’ and any truce agreement ‘must not simply be signed, it must be accepted by Ukrainians’.

24 Feb 2026 - 8:41PM

My Take

My Take | China and the UN are not the problem in Ukraine and Palestine – the West is

Europe and America’s warmongering and genocide-enabling are at the roots of the world’s most dangerous geopolitical flashpoints.

15 Feb 2026 - 10:34PM

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese. Photo: AFP

Munich Security Conference

As transatlantic divorce plays out in Munich, China enjoys the silence

For long, China was a magnet for America’s rhetorical aggression. Now, it is the Europeans who are under fire.

15 Feb 2026 - 9:30PMvideocam

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi addresses a session of the Munich Security Conference on February 14. Photo: Reuters

China-EU relations

EU seeks independence, survival amid China-US economic dominance

European leaders meet to address the bloc’s economic woes, reliance on China and US, and shielding key industries from protectionist policies.

12 Feb 2026 - 6:05PMvideocam

India

India’s trade blitz seeks to keep afloat a sinking global order

‘Jolted out of its slumber’ by US tariffs, New Delhi is aggressively diversifying trade alliances to act as a bridge in a polarised world.

10 Feb 2026 - 8:54PM

Ukraine war

Open Questions | Historian on Trump’s new world order and a Europe in crisis

Luuk van Middelaar explains return of great-power rule, Europe’s wake-up call and its struggle to fend off Putin in Ukraine and respond to ‘danger’ from US.

5 Feb 2026 - 12:20PMvideocam

US-China trade war

Canada’s former deputy PM hopes for less economic dependency on China in future

Canada’s former deputy prime minister supports economic system ‘in which China works’ but other countries’ vulnerabilities are limited.

5 Feb 2026 - 8:28AMvideocam

Chrystia Freeland, who served as Canada’s deputy prime minister, says countries must be careful about whom they build economic dependencies on. Photo: The Canadian Press via AP

China economy

Opinion | US-China rivalry: great powers that don’t make things won’t be great for long

As globalisation falters, it is countries that focus on building productive capacity, not financial excess, that will come out on top.

2 Feb 2026 - 5:30AM

Trade

Opinion | The India-EU trade pact is a rebuke of US economic coercion

Beyond trade liberalisation, the partnership will weaken Washington’s ability to use tariffs as leverage and dictate the rules of global economic engagement.

1 Feb 2026 - 5:30AM

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW

Ursula von der Leyen

Germany’s Merz says no ‘immediate’ Ukraine EU membership

There is little appetite to fast track Kyiv to full membership in the EU – causing some to pitch possible interim benefits in the meantime.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Open Questions | ‘Saying you’re a geopolitical actor doesn’t make it so’: Sven Biscop on Europe

EU unveils age-check app amid efforts to better protect children online

Exclusive | EU to cut funding for Chinese inverters amid change of tack towards Beijing

Without fanfare, Brussels will stop funding for projects that use the Chinese-made devices as part of a ‘do more, say less’ strategy.

China sidelined: EU shelves rare debate as Middle East crisis takes priority

Delay risks entrenching a policy vacuum as member states diverge and Brussels struggles to evolve its approach.

Europe’s crisis tourism: how the Iran war swallowed the EU’s geopolitical agenda

From trade with China to the Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock, Brussels’ agenda has been repeatedly knocked off course.

EU’s flagship Africa project under fire over ties to Chinese state-owned firms

Lawmakers demand to know where over US$2.3 billion in funds is going in venture meant to wean off Beijing’s critical minerals chokehold.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Europe’s response to Iran war risks becoming its ‘darkest hour’

By prevaricating on US aggression, Brussels risks forfeiting new partnerships that could help reduce its reliance on Washington.

European Parliament heads to China after 8 years and lobbying from Beijing

Chair of consumer protection delegation due in China next week wants to convey ‘that our rules on product standards are to be followed’.

Germany’s Merz floats EU-China trade deal as European capitals soften on Beijing

Remarks urging ‘strategic partnerships around the world’ underscore how tensions with the US are inducing a more accommodating stance.

EU delays proposal to permanently ban Russian oil imports

The proposal is not cancelled, but would no longer be published by April 15 due to ‘current geopolitical developments’.

EU inspects Druzhba pipeline in bid to unclog Hungary’s block on Ukraine aid

Hungarian leader Viktor Orban has vetoed giving Ukraine its promised US$103 billion EU loan until Russian oil supply is resumed.

Rules-based order on trial in Europe as Iran war deepens divide

EU leaders have clashed over whether the bloc should still be bound by global norms as Mideast conflict reshapes the geopolitical landscape.

EU eyes nuclear energy again as oil prices soar amid Iran war

It was ‘a mistake’ to turn away from ‘a reliable, affordable source of low-emission power’, says EU chief, amid new funding - and protesters.

Get realpolitik? Von der Leyen questions Europe’s faith in rules-based order

The EU must become more realistic and interest-driven to keep up with the new world order, bloc chief says.

Weaponise EU market against China or face manufacturing collapse: official think tank

Beijing’s ‘weakness creates opportunities’ for bloc to use chokepoints and leverage for negotiations, researchers say.

EU strips AI, chips and quantum from industrial plan aimed at countering China

Leaked draft shows biotechnology and robotics are other cutting-edge sectors to be cut from Industrial Accelerator Act ahead of unveiling.

Europe divided, on edge as US-Israel strikes on Iran ripple across the continent

Cyprus hit, oil prices jump and EU leaders clash over legality, regime change and Washington’s role in the widening conflict.

Trump threatens more hits, Khamenei dead and Israel mounts new attacks

Beijing says the killing of Iran’s supreme leader is ‘a grave violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security’.

4 years into Ukraine conflict, Zelensky says Putin ‘did not win this war’

The president said Kyiv wanted ‘lasting peace’ and any truce agreement ‘must not simply be signed, it must be accepted by Ukrainians’.

My Take | China and the UN are not the problem in Ukraine and Palestine – the West is

Europe and America’s warmongering and genocide-enabling are at the roots of the world’s most dangerous geopolitical flashpoints.

As transatlantic divorce plays out in Munich, China enjoys the silence

For long, China was a magnet for America’s rhetorical aggression. Now, it is the Europeans who are under fire.

EU seeks independence, survival amid China-US economic dominance

European leaders meet to address the bloc’s economic woes, reliance on China and US, and shielding key industries from protectionist policies.

India’s trade blitz seeks to keep afloat a sinking global order

‘Jolted out of its slumber’ by US tariffs, New Delhi is aggressively diversifying trade alliances to act as a bridge in a polarised world.

Open Questions | Historian on Trump’s new world order and a Europe in crisis

Luuk van Middelaar explains return of great-power rule, Europe’s wake-up call and its struggle to fend off Putin in Ukraine and respond to ‘danger’ from US.

Canada’s former deputy PM hopes for less economic dependency on China in future

Canada’s former deputy prime minister supports economic system ‘in which China works’ but other countries’ vulnerabilities are limited.

Opinion | US-China rivalry: great powers that don’t make things won’t be great for long

As globalisation falters, it is countries that focus on building productive capacity, not financial excess, that will come out on top.

Opinion | The India-EU trade pact is a rebuke of US economic coercion

Beyond trade liberalisation, the partnership will weaken Washington’s ability to use tariffs as leverage and dictate the rules of global economic engagement.

Open Questions | ‘Saying you’re a geopolitical actor doesn’t make it so’: Sven Biscop on Europe

Opinion | Europe’s response to Iran war risks becoming its ‘darkest hour’