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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.

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

31 Mar 2026 - 11:48PMvideocam

European Union

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

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

After eight years in the deep freeze, the European Parliament is sending an official delegation to China next week. Photo: Shutterstock

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

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

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

A meter shows near zero-level pressure at a line production station on a Druzhba pipeline in Brody, Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

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

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

Container ships are seen at Qingdao port in eastern China. Europe remains the last reasonably open advanced market where China can sell industrial and hi-tech goods. Photo: AFP

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

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

Government supporters gather in mourning after state TV officially announces the death of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran on Sunday. Photo: AP

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

Ukrainian troops attend a training session at an undisclosed location in the Zaporizhzhia region on Sunday. Photo: EPA/Press service of the 65th Separate Mechanised Brigade

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

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

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

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses a debate on the urgent action required to boost EU competitiveness, deepen the single market and reduce the cost of living, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

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

Children play next to The Bund Bull sculpture in Shanghai on April 9, 2025. Photo: AFP

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

US-China relations

Opinion | How the world can design a new trade architecture

Even as the US overhauls world trade norms, China’s quiet but influential role in redefining globalisation is impossible to ignore.

30 Jan 2026 - 7:49AM

China-EU relations

‘Mother of all trade deals’: EU pivots to India in historic trade shake-up

Brussels diversifies away from China and US risks, while the pact makes India a more attractive place for European firms to sell vehicles and fuel growth.

28 Jan 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

The European Council president, Antonio Costa (left); the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen (right); and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose ahead of their meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Banking & finance

Trump says the US dollar can move like a yo-yo. Will Treasuries be left hanging?

With the US president levelling threats at enemies, allies and his own central bank, alternatives like gold and Chinese assets are gaining appeal.

28 Jan 2026 - 11:18AMvideocam

India

India, EU ‘make history’ as they seal trade pact amid US tariff pressure

Both sides are ‘set to benefit’ from the deal that analysts say will underscore broader shifts under way in the global order.

27 Jan 2026 - 7:10PMvideocam

China-EU relations

European leaders say the quiet part out loud: order no longer constrains power

EU leaders appear to have finally accepted they are facing a new era of great power competition – the question now is how they respond.

27 Jan 2026 - 9:40AMvideocam

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Ursula von der Leyen

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

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

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.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}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.

Opinion | How the world can design a new trade architecture

Even as the US overhauls world trade norms, China’s quiet but influential role in redefining globalisation is impossible to ignore.

‘Mother of all trade deals’: EU pivots to India in historic trade shake-up

Brussels diversifies away from China and US risks, while the pact makes India a more attractive place for European firms to sell vehicles and fuel growth.

Trump says the US dollar can move like a yo-yo. Will Treasuries be left hanging?

With the US president levelling threats at enemies, allies and his own central bank, alternatives like gold and Chinese assets are gaining appeal.

India, EU ‘make history’ as they seal trade pact amid US tariff pressure

Both sides are ‘set to benefit’ from the deal that analysts say will underscore broader shifts under way in the global order.

European leaders say the quiet part out loud: order no longer constrains power

EU leaders appear to have finally accepted they are facing a new era of great power competition – the question now is how they respond.

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

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