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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.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Photo: dpa

World Economic Forum (WEF, aka Davos)

Macron urges Europe to hit back against Trump’s threats

French president advocates use of the EU’s anti-coercion mechanism against US tariffs, as he warns of moving ‘towards a world without rules’.

45 minutes agovideocam

World Economic Forum (WEF, aka Davos)

China’s He Lifeng warns of ‘law of the jungle’, blasts protectionism, at Davos

5 hours agovideocam

Donald Trump

Allies tepid on joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ as countries study invites

20 Jan 2026 - 12:29PM

Israel-Gaza war

Israel objects to composition of Trump-led Gaza ‘board of peace’

PM Netanyahu says the unveiling of the board was not coordinated with Israel and contradicted his government’s policy.

18 Jan 2026 - 2:05AM

Palestinian girls walk past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the war in Gaza City on Friday. Photo: Reuters

European Union

South American bloc and EU sign long-awaited FTA amid Trump’s tariffs

The deal creates one of the world’s largest free trade areas after 25 years of tricky negotiations.

18 Jan 2026 - 7:56AM

China-EU relations

China’s charm offensive: Beijing bypasses Brussels to soften EU trade push

From aircraft orders in France to reopened beef and pork markets for Ireland and Spain, mainland officials are leaning hard into diplomacy.

17 Jan 2026 - 12:13PMvideocam

India

Germany’s Merz backs India-EU trade deal during first official visit to Asia

The German chancellor and India’s Modi have signed agreements aimed at boosting bilateral trade and enhancing defence cooperation.

13 Jan 2026 - 5:46PMvideocam

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrives for an appointment on Monday as part of his state visit to India. Photo: dpa

My Take

My Take | The days of EU and Nato may be numbered under von der Leyen and Kallas

Europe’s leaders continue to play supplicants to Trump, who may be an even bigger existential threat than Putin with his undisguised US imperialism.

11 Jan 2026 - 10:15PM

European Union

EU agrees to ‘world’s largest’ free-trade zone with Mercosur pact after 25 years

The EU sealed the historic deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to form a 700 million strong bloc, defying fierce farmer opposition.

9 Jan 2026 - 9:59PM

European Union

Bulgaria becomes 21st country to adopt euro in historic milestone

The Balkan nation, which joined the EU in 2007, retires the 19th-century lev for the single currency.

1 Jan 2026 - 2:06PM

Revellers celebrate the New Year in front of the Bulgarian National Bank in Sofia as Bulgaria officially adopts the euro. Photo: AFP

Year in Review

10 most read Daily Pulse briefings of 2025

SCMP Plus looks back at the year’s 10 most popular Daily Pulse bulletins, covering China issues related to diplomacy, trade and economics.

22 Dec 2025 - 5:00PM

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Photo: AP

Ukraine war

Russia says Putin open to Ukraine war talks with France’s Macron

Moscow’s response came after the French president urged Europe to ‘re-engage’ with the Russian leader.

21 Dec 2025 - 1:20PMvideocam

China-EU relations

EU facing crunch talks over Ukraine, China and its economic future

EU leaders are set to meet amid growing concern in Brussels that the bloc’s divisions will impede meaningful action across a range of issues.

18 Dec 2025 - 2:07PMvideocam

European Union

As I see it | Russia will end the European Union, not the other way around

The end of history is more history, as Hegel might have said, with the postmodern unified EU potentially reverting back to rival modern states.

17 Dec 2025 - 8:16AMvideocam

The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas signs an agreement to transfer to Ukraine a tranche of proceeds from frozen Russian assets during a meeting in Lviv, Ukraine, on May 9. Photo: AP

Australia

World leaders express horror at Bondi Beach attack as vigils held for victims

Israel’s Herzog condemned the ‘cruel attack on Jews’ by ‘terrorists’; Trump branded the shooting that killed 15 people ‘purely antisemitic’.

15 Dec 2025 - 6:28AM

People hold a vigil outside the Australian High Commission in central London, Britain on Sunday following a terrorist attack on a Jewish celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Photo: PA Wire / dpa

My Take

My Take | The emerging axis of lawlessness – the European Union, United States and Israel

From Ukraine to the Caribbean and Middle East, we are witnessing the application of the law of the jungle by the West and its ally.

14 Dec 2025 - 10:15PM

European Union

Belarus agrees to stop balloon flights into Lithuania amid hybrid attack fears

The incidents have caused over a dozen closures of Vilnius airport in recent months, prompting Lithuania to declare a state of emergency.

14 Dec 2025 - 2:24AM

Ukraine war

European allies back Ukraine’s Zelensky after Trump criticism

Ukrainian president met leaders in London and Brussels, declaring that ceding territory to Russia - a central point of the US proposal - was impossible.

9 Dec 2025 - 9:16AM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London. Photo: AP

China-France relations

Macron bypasses EU in bid to boost France-China ties

French President Emmanuel Macron left Ursula von der Leyen in Europe, as European leaders sidestep the EU and seek to boost bilateral ties with China.

4 Dec 2025 - 5:07PM

China-France relations

China and France should ‘understand and support each other’, Xi tells Macron

The pair meet in Beijing for ‘candid and fruitful’ talks followed by the signing of 12 deals covering everything from nuclear power to pandas.

4 Dec 2025 - 8:15PM

China-EU relations

Back to the drawing board: EU revives faltering China de-risking plans

Twin proposals aim to boost economic arsenal while cutting China dependence as 27-nation bloc fights for survival in era of trade warfare.

3 Dec 2025 - 11:34PMvideocam

EU flags flutter outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. The bloc aims to use its existing economic tools more aggressively and with overall resilience objectives in mind. Photo: Reuters

China-EU relations

EU abandons WTO case against China over alleged coercion of Lithuania

Brussels ends its challenge after saying flows have resumed, though critics note Lithuanian exports to China remain far below 2021 levels.

2 Dec 2025 - 4:36AMvideocam

The Lithuanian embassy in Beijing was closed in 2021 at the height of the row between Vilnius and Beijing over relations with Taiwan. Photo: Reuters

China-EU relations

EU’s von der Leyen won’t go to China with French President Macron

The absence of an EU leader from talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping would represent a break with recent tradition.

28 Nov 2025 - 6:55PM

Ukraine war

US and Ukraine refine draft of peace plan under Trump deadline pressure

Talks on a 28-point proposal to end Russia’s war held in Geneva after Trump set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to approve the plan.

24 Nov 2025 - 3:09PM

China-EU relations

Europe seeks common ground with Indo-Pacific nations bruised by US-China rivalry

Senior officials and diplomats from Asia, Africa and the Pacific will attend a forum in Brussels. Beijing and Washington aren’t invited.

20 Nov 2025 - 12:00PM

US tariffs and Chinese export controls have set off a global scramble for diversification. Photo: AP

China-EU relations

EU recalibrates on China as it seeks rare earths breakthrough

Official sources say Brussels is in ‘de-escalation mode’ as it tries to convince Beijing to issue more export licences for critical minerals.

17 Nov 2025 - 5:48PMvideocam

Brussels and Beijing are said to be close to agreeing on a licensing procedure for rare earths exports. Photo: Reuters

China-EU relations

7 minutes on Asia: Europe’s struggle for relevance in the age of Trump’s ‘G2’

A brief discussion on the Indo-Pacific suggests a union that is increasingly peripheral – on China and arguably almost everything else.

7 Nov 2025 - 5:34PMvideocam

China-EU relations

Will EU ‘play hardball’ in US-China rivalry? Brussels faces division on autonomy

China’s efforts to persuade EU to treat ties ‘as a strategic partnership are reaching their limits’, says former diplomat Cui Hongjian.

7 Nov 2025 - 9:06AMvideocam

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Ursula von der Leyen

Macron urges Europe to hit back against Trump’s threats

French president advocates use of the EU’s anti-coercion mechanism against US tariffs, as he warns of moving ‘towards a world without rules’.

China’s He Lifeng warns of ‘law of the jungle’, blasts protectionism, at Davos

Allies tepid on joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ as countries study invites

Israel objects to composition of Trump-led Gaza ‘board of peace’

PM Netanyahu says the unveiling of the board was not coordinated with Israel and contradicted his government’s policy.

South American bloc and EU sign long-awaited FTA amid Trump’s tariffs

The deal creates one of the world’s largest free trade areas after 25 years of tricky negotiations.

China’s charm offensive: Beijing bypasses Brussels to soften EU trade push

From aircraft orders in France to reopened beef and pork markets for Ireland and Spain, mainland officials are leaning hard into diplomacy.

Germany’s Merz backs India-EU trade deal during first official visit to Asia

The German chancellor and India’s Modi have signed agreements aimed at boosting bilateral trade and enhancing defence cooperation.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}My Take | The days of EU and Nato may be numbered under von der Leyen and Kallas

Europe’s leaders continue to play supplicants to Trump, who may be an even bigger existential threat than Putin with his undisguised US imperialism.

EU agrees to ‘world’s largest’ free-trade zone with Mercosur pact after 25 years

The EU sealed the historic deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to form a 700 million strong bloc, defying fierce farmer opposition.

Bulgaria becomes 21st country to adopt euro in historic milestone

The Balkan nation, which joined the EU in 2007, retires the 19th-century lev for the single currency.

10 most read Daily Pulse briefings of 2025

SCMP Plus looks back at the year’s 10 most popular Daily Pulse bulletins, covering China issues related to diplomacy, trade and economics.

Russia says Putin open to Ukraine war talks with France’s Macron

Moscow’s response came after the French president urged Europe to ‘re-engage’ with the Russian leader.

EU facing crunch talks over Ukraine, China and its economic future

EU leaders are set to meet amid growing concern in Brussels that the bloc’s divisions will impede meaningful action across a range of issues.

As I see it | Russia will end the European Union, not the other way around

The end of history is more history, as Hegel might have said, with the postmodern unified EU potentially reverting back to rival modern states.

World leaders express horror at Bondi Beach attack as vigils held for victims

Israel’s Herzog condemned the ‘cruel attack on Jews’ by ‘terrorists’; Trump branded the shooting that killed 15 people ‘purely antisemitic’.

My Take | The emerging axis of lawlessness – the European Union, United States and Israel

From Ukraine to the Caribbean and Middle East, we are witnessing the application of the law of the jungle by the West and its ally.

Belarus agrees to stop balloon flights into Lithuania amid hybrid attack fears

The incidents have caused over a dozen closures of Vilnius airport in recent months, prompting Lithuania to declare a state of emergency.

European allies back Ukraine’s Zelensky after Trump criticism

Ukrainian president met leaders in London and Brussels, declaring that ceding territory to Russia - a central point of the US proposal - was impossible.

Macron bypasses EU in bid to boost France-China ties

French President Emmanuel Macron left Ursula von der Leyen in Europe, as European leaders sidestep the EU and seek to boost bilateral ties with China.

China and France should ‘understand and support each other’, Xi tells Macron

The pair meet in Beijing for ‘candid and fruitful’ talks followed by the signing of 12 deals covering everything from nuclear power to pandas.

Back to the drawing board: EU revives faltering China de-risking plans

Twin proposals aim to boost economic arsenal while cutting China dependence as 27-nation bloc fights for survival in era of trade warfare.

EU abandons WTO case against China over alleged coercion of Lithuania

Brussels ends its challenge after saying flows have resumed, though critics note Lithuanian exports to China remain far below 2021 levels.

EU’s von der Leyen won’t go to China with French President Macron

The absence of an EU leader from talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping would represent a break with recent tradition.

US and Ukraine refine draft of peace plan under Trump deadline pressure

Talks on a 28-point proposal to end Russia’s war held in Geneva after Trump set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to approve the plan.

Europe seeks common ground with Indo-Pacific nations bruised by US-China rivalry

Senior officials and diplomats from Asia, Africa and the Pacific will attend a forum in Brussels. Beijing and Washington aren’t invited.

EU recalibrates on China as it seeks rare earths breakthrough

Official sources say Brussels is in ‘de-escalation mode’ as it tries to convince Beijing to issue more export licences for critical minerals.

7 minutes on Asia: Europe’s struggle for relevance in the age of Trump’s ‘G2’

A brief discussion on the Indo-Pacific suggests a union that is increasingly peripheral – on China and arguably almost everything else.

Will EU ‘play hardball’ in US-China rivalry? Brussels faces division on autonomy

China’s efforts to persuade EU to treat ties ‘as a strategic partnership are reaching their limits’, says former diplomat Cui Hongjian.

My Take | The days of EU and Nato may be numbered under von der Leyen and Kallas