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China-EU relations

China-EU relations
Breaking news, analysis and opinion on relations between China and the European Union, covering trade, investment, policy, the Belt and Road Initiative and wider issues such as the US-China trade war and human rights.
Open Questions series

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

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7
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
The Netherlands’ trade minister, Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (left), shakes hands with China’s commerce minister, Wang Wentao, in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Ministry of Commerce
China trade

Beijing seeks chip stability and fair market access during Dutch trade mission

Wang Wentao meets Sjoerd Sjoerdsma amid ASML export limits and Nexperia debacle, with calls for secure chip supply chains and broader EU-China market access.

Nato

Nato, Indo-Pacific 4 vow defence, tech boost as China-Russia ties spark alarm

European Union

Opinion | Europe could prosper as China’s trade ally rather than adversary

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China's military weapons

China submarine fires long-range missile ahead of Nato summit

An unprecedented missile launch by a PLA nuclear submarine will prompt Nato leaders to focus more on the Asia-Pacific region.

Submarine-launched JL-3 intercontinental ballistic missiles at a military parade in Beijing last year. Photo: Reuters
European Union

Letters | ‘China Opportunity 2.0’ will boost innovation – and Europe-China ties

Readers discuss the benefits of deepening scientific cooperation, how Hong Kong can be truly Muslim-friendly, and the HK$2 transport scheme expansion.

European Union

Opinion | EU should think twice before weaponising its market against China

Market size and coercive leverage are not the same thing and the EU remains more dependent on China than policymakers think.

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United States

Europe tries to find its way in a ‘world without bearings’

At France’s annual economic forum, Europe’s economic and political leaders addressed the continent’s problems – and what to do about them.

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Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank (ECB), speaks at Les Rencontres Économiques d’Aix-en-Provence in southern France, the country’s annual flagship economic forum. Photo: Handout
France

EU should learn from China’s energy tech, say heads of 2 French power giants

The EU can learn from China’s tech knowledge and speed capability in both renewable and nuclear power sectors.

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China trade

Why is a Chinese-made portable AC selling out across heat-stricken Europe?

Popularity of Midea’s PortaSplit fuels resale mark-ups and expedited shipping as renters favour plug-and-play cooling amid installation barriers.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | How to manage China’s rise as a civilisational power

The world must deal with China by recognising its civilisational rhythm. China, in turn, must avoid the mistakes of arrogance.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron and their wives visit the Unesco-listed site of the Dujiangyan irrigation system in Dujiangyan, in southwestern China’s Sichuan province on December 5, 2025. Photo: AFP
China economy

Opinion | ‘Overcapacity’ talk reflects a West irked by China’s industrial rise

The issue is whether that irritation can be managed through rules, domestic renewal and cooperation or further fragments the world economy.

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Workers check solar panels installed over a lake in Tianchang, east China’s Anhui province on January 12. Cheap solar panels are not a climate problem; they are part of the climate solution. Photo: AFP
China-Asean relations

Is it wiser for middle powers ‘not to take sides’ in face of US-China rivalry?

Speakers at event in Beijing say that ‘hedging’ between Washington and Beijing will give other countries greater autonomy.

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European Union

China-EU progress, Xi touts ‘global influence’, Nato summit

This week: China signals openness to cutting EU trade gap, President Xi hails Communist Party’s ‘significant global influence’ and factory activity returns to expansion. Next week: Nato summit takes place in Turkey, US moves towards new tariffs, Kung Fu Soccer may hit the screens, and more.

China-Germany relations

German government pledges to defend trade, signalling tougher China stance

Country’s ruling coalition agrees on 34-point package to revive ailing German economy as Chinese imports surge.

German Chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Union Friedrich Merz attends a news conference with other coalition leaders following a meeting in Berlin on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Which Trump will show up at Nato summit? Odds are it will be the fuming one

US president’s impatience and distrust of multilateral groupings has Nato’s 31 other members walking on eggshells before next week’s key meeting.

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The jury's out on whether US President Donald Trump will turn up at next week's Nato meeting in Ankara, Turkey, as a team player or one who regularly slams the alliance. Photo: Reuters
SCMP Exclusives

Exclusive | China signals openness to cut gaping EU trade gap as Brussels toughens stance

Beijing floats buying more European goods as the EU weighs new trade tools and presses for tangible progress by October.

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US-China trade war

Potential US ban on Chinese inverters would harm local power industry: firms

America’s need for inverters is growing amid boom in renewable energy demand driven by AI race – and China is the dominant global supplier.

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China manufacturing

European firms ‘becoming more reliant on China, not less’: EU chamber chief

Jens Eskelund tells conference in Berlin that Beijing can raise costs of confrontation beyond what other side is willing to bear.

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The flags of the European Union and China in front of the German Foreign Office in Berlin. Photo: Photothek via Getty Images

China to test whether transatlantic turmoil can soften Europe’s Nordic hawks

Top diplomat will try to gauge commitment to Brussels’ increasingly hardline stance during rare tour of Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway.

United States

China’s Fifa fever, EU’s trade deadline: 7 global relations reads

From the Quad’s critical mineral agenda to Shein’s Paris ousting, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in June 2026.

Mainland China

‘World without bearings’: Lorenzi sees economic conflict and unplottable fixes

Prominent French economist warns that Europe must reach strategic pact with Beijing and enact structural reforms as global order enters volatile era.

People cool off near the Trocadero fountain in front of France’s Eiffel Tower last week during a heatwave. Jean-Herve Lorenzi, president of Le Cercle des economistes, contends that major European powers must reach a strategic agreement with China. Photo: Reuters
China manufacturing

EU seeks ‘tangible results’ on China trade deficit by October

Hopes of progress in paring the EU’s trade deficit with China by autumn will mean overcoming some seemingly insurmountable barriers.

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic. Photo: EPA
European Union

China-EU joint statement on trade

China and the European Union issued a rare joint statement confirming the launch of a ministerial-level platform to ease bilateral economic tensions.

Electric & new energy vehicles

The secret behind China’s EV boom? Local alliances, not industrial policy: study

The new research comes as the Chinese and EU trade chiefs meet in Brussels to discuss trade tensions fuelled, in part, by electric vehicles.

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Mainland China

EU sets China October deadline for ‘tangible results’ after key trade talks

Marathon session in Brussels sees Beijing agreeing to establish a ‘joint monitoring mechanism of trade flows’ to help ease economic tensions.

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EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic speaks to the press following a meeting with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Brussels on Monday. Photo: EPA
E-commerce

China’s cooling, e-commerce giants see sales surge as Europe heat sizzles

Alibaba notes surge in retail and business-to-business orders, Midea reports sharp revenue rise, and Gree sales get bump in major European markets.

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On AliExpress, Alibaba’s international retail site, this month’s debut of air conditioners in Germany saw local warehouse inventory for a Midea model completely wiped out by Thursday. Photo: Shutterstock
China trade

As China dominates solar and energy sector, fears emerge over EU’s new crackdown

Brussels’ unease over European reliance on Chinese tech sees the bloc impose bans and restrictions, as fears mount on how far it will go.

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Germany

EU confronts ‘China shock’ ahead of pivotal Brussels trade talks

There is a growing sense Europe will have to learn to ‘live with’ Beijing’s economic model, which it accuses of undercutting its industries.

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