Finbarr Bermingham
Chief Europe Correspondent
Finbarr Bermingham is the Chief Europe Correspondent at SCMP, specialising in geopolitics, geoeconomics and EU-China relations. He has spent the last five years reporting from Brussels and around Europe on rising bilateral tensions, Europe's place in the shifting world order, diplomacy, trade and EU politics. Previously based in Hong Kong for seven years, he covered China’s trade and economy. He has also worked in London and South Korea.
Finbarr Bermingham is the Chief Europe Correspondent at SCMP, specialising in geopolitics, geoeconomics and EU-China relations. He has spent the last five years reporting from Brussels and around Europe on rising bilateral tensions, Europe's place in the shifting world order, diplomacy, trade and EU politics. Previously based in Hong Kong for seven years, he covered China’s trade and economy. He has also worked in London and South Korea.
Areas of Expertise:
EU-China, geopolitics, global tradeLanguages Spoken:
English
Top officials will visit the Chinese capital in the coming months in a bid to persuade Beijing to revalue the yuan, according to sources.
EU trade chief says bloc may turn to safeguards to curb surges in imports and names plastics as a sector where investigations are advanced.
Beijing offers to remove restrictions on a German supplier to chipmaking giant ASML in exchange for the EU delisting Chinese firm Yusha.
As European officials flag more trade restrictions, Beijing bristles at the idea it can be pushed into yielding to Brussels’ demands.
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Emboldened by a recent hybrid car deal, Brussels is accelerating a crackdown on Chinese trade practices with a new tool that threatens to lock Chinese firms out of the European market overnight.
Latest flare-up suggests danger of trade war between two of the world’s three biggest economies has far from de-escalated.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen also floats safeguards as member states back two-track strategy to tackle China shock.
Brussels is revving the engines and ready to accelerate a crackdown on Chinese trade practices after Beijing responds to its threats.
Brussels plans new measures to confront trade imbalances even after a surprise deal with Beijing to limit Chinese hybrid car imports.
Agreement, praised on both sides, features controls on Chinese EV shipments and tariff reductions, helping to cool tensions – for now.
EU officials spoke of a ‘paradigm shift’ in wake of surprise trade deal, saying the ‘nature of the rebalancing exercise has changed’.
Europe grapples with whether efforts to protect its industry from China mirror the US policies it previously railed against.
The agreement will see Chinese hybrid vehicle exports decline by ‘several million cars’ in the coming years, EU trade chief says.
Trip coincides with Merz’s Asia tour as Berlin and Paris advocate new EU mechanism to exclude rule-breaking trade partners.
Report calls Beijing an ‘existential threat’ to industry and urges naval exercises around Taiwan Strait.
Brussels hopes Chinese commerce ministry will agree to modest ‘proof-of-concept’ arrangement at top-level meetings in Beijing.
Strategy laid out in joint paper and letter to EU chief signed by the leaders of the two largest members of the bloc and seen by the SCMP.
Bloc’s trade enforcement chief says the system is already picking up what may be worrying trends in a range of product categories.
The mood in Brussels is hardening and Europe’s actions in coming weeks could set the course of EU-China relations for years to come.
Brussels officials hold talks in the Chinese capital as they seek a commitment to reduce surging exports to the bloc.
As Brussels continues its push to rebalance ties, the latest data show China’s trade surplus expanded over all but three EU members in July.
AI race contender’s decision to offer GLM-5.2 a sign of how European political and commercial incentives can pull in different directions.
Chinese justice and commerce ministries order the ban in a joint statement condemning ‘undue extraterritorial jurisdiction measures’.
The recent row over migration and Spain’s border policy suggests it may be hard for the bloc to stand together under pressure from Beijing.
Some 49 per cent of those polled see China as a rival or adversary while just 38 per cent see the nation in positive terms, new survey finds.
It will be Kaja Kallas’ first solo trip to China since taking on her role in 2024.
Latest sanctions suggest Chinese effort to ramp up pressure on Europe and strike fear into member states before crunch time in October.
Bloc concludes banning Greek companies from transporting Russian gas to third countries may hand strategic shipping advantages to Beijing.
Brussels is increasingly determined to ensure core industries survive if confrontation with Beijing proves unavoidable.
