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EU sidelined by US-China showdown, Moutai faces sobering reality: SCMP daily highlights

From EU eyeing impact of Washington-Beijing trade talks to austerity trimming profits at China’s top baijiu maker, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage

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Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Geneva to discuss trade relations and tariffs on May 10. In Brussels, the exchanges have served as a reminder of the extent to which Europe’s fortunes have become hostage to the whims of Beijing and Washington. Photo: AFP
Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. ‘Elephants trampling on global trade’: EU sidelined by US-China showdown

Over two rounds of high-stakes talks on European soil, Europe has watched from the sidelines as the US and China tried to reach a truce that might stabilise the global trading system on which the continent is entirely reliant.

2. Chinese citizens in Iran, Israel need to prepare for attacks, embassies warn

The Chinese embassy in Israel warned its citizens on Friday morning to take safety precautions for potential attacks as Tehran considers a retaliation against Israeli strikes targeting its nuclear sites.

3. China’s top baijiu maker faces sobering reality as austerity trims profits

Moutai, one of China’s most popular liquor brands, is being put in a difficult position by rules limiting extravagant spending by officials. Photo: Reuters
Moutai, one of China’s most popular liquor brands, is being put in a difficult position by rules limiting extravagant spending by officials. Photo: Reuters

China’s premier liquor distiller Kweichow Moutai – a brand that had, over decades, become synonymous with sumptuous feasts – is heeding a renewed mandate for austerity from Beijing, distancing its products from the extravagant hard-drinking lifestyle with which it had been linked in the public consciousness.

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