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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

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

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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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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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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93
Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
A China-Europe goods train departs from Tongjiang, Heilongjiang province, on December 9, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
Transport and logistics

Opinion | Middle East shipping crisis elevates China-Europe railway’s profile

Geopolitical strife has taken the China-Europe railway from an alternative to an essential part of continental connectivity.

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Mainland China

China warns EU to remove firms and citizens from Russian sanctions list

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Spain

Opinion | Why Spain’s ‘fruit bowl’ diplomacy with China comes up rather empty

China exports

Flood of small parcels from China pushes Belgian airport to limit

Belgium’s top customs official says main problem is that many products do not meet EU standards.

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Parcels at the Cainiao Liege eHub in the city’s airport zone, which handles products from China sold on Alibaba’s AliExpress platform. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images
US-China relations

US and EU sign critical minerals plan in push to loosen China’s grip

Western nations are seeking to diversify their supply chains for resources used to make semiconductors, EVs and advanced weapons.

Mainland China

‘It’s a tightrope’: why Europe’s wind industry faces a growing China dilemma

A debate is swirling in Europe over what role China should play in its wind power push, as the continent confronts the Middle East energy crisis.

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China trade

China places EU defence, aerospace firms on export control list

Seven listed entities are barred from receiving ‘dual-use’ items originating in China, according to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce.

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The flags of China and the European Union. Photo: Reuters
China-Russia relations

Exclusive | China’s Russia ties mean EU trade deal is off the table, Finland says

Tough talk from foreign minister shows the nation could provide a de facto veto on China’s efforts to launch a deal.

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Banking & finance

Open Questions | Euro, yuan unlikely to match US dollar, Daniel Gros says

German economist doubts EU and Chinese currencies will be widely used for international trade or that stablecoins will take off outside the ‘shadow economy’.

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China trade

Learn from the East, says economist Justin Lin, refuting ‘overcapacity’ rhetoric

Former World Bank economist defends Beijing’s industrial strategy amid ‘overcapacity’ allegations, points to Germany and a ‘double standard’.

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Justin Lin Yifu, dean of the Institute of New Structural Economics at Peking University, is seen at last month’s Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2026 in China’s Hainan province. Photo: Xinhua
State-owned enterprises

China’s CRRC drops bid for Lisbon metro deal as EU finds ‘billions’ in subsidies

Polish firm to replace state-backed Chinese giant as Brussels uses regulatory powers to curb what it says is market-distorting foreign aid.

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Workers operate on a production line at an assembly workshop of CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive in China’s Hunan province. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

Jump in EU EV sales amid Iran war boosts Chinese brands’ fortunes

Chinese-made EVs accounted for 16 per cent of the EU market in the year’s first two months, up from 12.2 per cent in 2025, CPCA data shows.

Spain

Opinion | Why Spain’s outreach to China offers a viable model for Europe

De-risking while also deepening ties beyond the transactional shows that interdependence and strategic autonomy aren’t mutually exclusive.

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Cybersecurity

China threatens EU firms over cybersecurity plans targeting Chinese companies

China’s commerce ministry warns broad retaliation is on the table if firms such as Huawei and ZTE are penalised by proposed law.

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Beijing has submitted to the EU on its cybersecurity regulations with a threat of retaliatory probes and the promise of litigation if Chinese firms are targeted. Photo: Shutterstock
Sven Biscop

Open Questions | ‘Saying you’re a geopolitical actor doesn’t make it so’: Sven Biscop on Europe

The Belgian political scientist on what the Iran war and the transatlantic collision reveal about Europe’s place in a fast-changing world.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
European Union

Bulgaria’s pro-Russian former president set for strong election win: exit polls

In his campaign, Rumen Radev talked about improving relations with Moscow and resuming the free flow of ‌Russian oil and gas into Europe.

Focus

The rupture: how Europe fell out of love with America

Many believed the transatlantic alliance could weather another term of Trump, but a year and a half on those hopes have largely faded.

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Spain

Spain signs deals with Brazil as Sanchez builds anti-Trump bloc

The Spanish leader is hosting heads of state and government in a bid to counter the US president and revive the political left.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (right) and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attend the Spain-Brazil Summit in Barcelona on Friday. Photo: EPA
US-China tech war

Chinese LED chipmaker’s purchase of Dutch firm collapses after US opposition

The failed Lumileds deal highlights the growing hurdles Chinese tech firms face in overseas acquisitions under tightening US policy.

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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong leader John Lee, EU officials meet to discuss trade, cooperation

EU ambassador describes lunch meeting as a ‘constructive and in-depth exchange on EU-Hong Kong relations’.

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Open Questions series

Open Questions | Europe lacks China strategy, needs new US approach, Biscop says

Sven Biscop, director at the Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels, on what the Iran war and the transatlantic collision reveal about Europe’s place in a fast-changing world.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China exports

Chinese steelmakers team up to adjust to EU’s carbon-linked import imposts

Industry insiders say carbon costs are expected to cascade through supply chains, adding to compliance costs for Chinese exporters.

Workers prepare steel coils for shipment at Lianyungang Port, in Jiangsu province, on Saturday. Photo: AFP
SCMP Exclusives

Exclusive | EU to cut funding for Chinese inverters amid change of tack towards Beijing

Without fanfare, Brussels will stop funding for projects that use the Chinese-made devices as part of a ‘do more, say less’ strategy.

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Israel

Xi calls on Spain to jointly resist ‘law of the jungle’ in a turbulent world

Chinese leader meets visiting Spanish PM who is in Beijing looking to strengthen bilateral ties amid tensions with US.

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US-China decoupling

Brussels must resist ‘passive’ role in US-China trade war, EU chamber urges

European companies keep becoming ‘collateral damage’ in others’ disputes, laments president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

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Jens Eskelund, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, said European companies have suffered “significant operational and financial damage” while trying to navigate Beijing’s export controls on rare earths. Photo: EPA-EFE
European Union

EU launches operations of critical minerals procurement platform

The move aims to cut reliance on dominant producer China and give more power to regional buyers.

European Union flags fly at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: AFP
China trade

Hungary’s PM-elect Magyar sends warm overture to China, vows fair play for firms

Peter Magyar pledges reforms to restore transparency and fiscal stability as Hungary shifts from Viktor Orban’s investment model.

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Mainland China

Why Beijing isn’t panicking over Hungarian PM Orban’s stunning election defeat

China’s substantial investments in the central European country point to bilateral cooperation that is mutually beneficial, analysts say.

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