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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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18
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
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
European Union

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.

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Angola

EU’s flagship Africa project under fire over ties to Chinese state-owned firms

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China manufacturing

Chinese market regulator tells firms to focus on healthy competition overseas

China-Germany relations

Merz floats EU-China deal, Trump’s new Beijing date, European lawmakers visit

This week: Germany’s Friedrich Merz envisages an eventual China-EU trade deal, new date set for Trump’s China trip and fuel prices surge amid war on Iran. Next week: European parliament sends first delegation to China in eight years, solar export subsidies end, Air China resumes North Korea flights, and more.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (right) visited Unitree’s headquarters in Hangzhou last month. (Photo: EPA)
European Parliament

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’.

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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.

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China manufacturing

Why Chinese companies struggling at home are looking to Europe

Chinese firms operating in Europe have very different view to European firms with investments in China, survey finds.

Chinese electric vehicle battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd’s factory in Debrecen, Hungary. Photo: Reuters
Mainland China

China and the Netherlands seek ‘pragmatic’ reset as Nexperia row rolls on

Wang Yi hails ‘positive signals’ from new Dutch minister as US pressure and EU de-risking leave The Hague juggling security and trade interests.

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European Union

Letters | Ireland is a predictable partner in unsettling times

Readers discuss Ireland’s ties to Hong Kong and the country’s global appeal, the war in Iran, and the value of attracting international students.

Nato

Exclusive | Chinese military set for EU and Nato talks as Iran war reshapes global security

The PLA delegation will travel to Brussels next week, where the Ukraine war remains a major barrier to better relations with Beijing.

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The PLA’s last talks with Nato and the EU took place two years ago. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump

Tariffs and distrust: EU’s bid to ditch China hits capacity problems

‘Thinly spread’ bloc seeks this week to thrash out memorandum on critical minerals with the US, eyeing a more formal instrument down the road.

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This week’s summit of EU leaders in Brussels is supposed to be about the bloc’s competitiveness, widely understood as a response to China’s state-backed industrial expansion. Photo: Reuters
Asean

Opinion | Underwater and unprotected: why Asean and the EU must secure subsea lifelines

With global data at risk from hybrid threats, Southeast Asia and Europe need to look past declarations to secure our shared data arteries.

Germany

Why the ‘China threat’ was barely mentioned in Germany’s latest state election

Baden-Wurttemberg’s car industry is facing steep job losses amid intense Chinese competition. But local candidates largely avoided blaming China.

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European Union

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.

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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
Two Sessions 2026

China’s Wang sees ‘landmark year’ in US relations

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the US and China could shorten their ‘list of problems’, while also promoting Beijing as a source of global stability amid the war in Iran.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Photo: AFP
European Union

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.

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Two Sessions 2026

Abandon the lonely attic, join the China gym: Wang Yi to Europe

Foreign minister’s comments come at closely watched press conference on ‘two sessions’ sidelines.

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Two Sessions 2026

Takeaways from Foreign Minister Wang Yi at China’s ‘two sessions’

Top diplomat addresses questions on US ties, the Iran crisis, South China Sea disputes and Beijing’s vision for a multipolar world order.

China top diplomat Wang Yi speaks to the press about Beijing’s foreign policy objectives during the “two sessions” in Beijing on March 8. Photo: AFP
European Union

Opinion | How Europe and China can rise above paralysis and mistrust

Together, Brussels and Beijing can reshape global power into a balance where Europe matters and China gains legitimacy as a responsible power.

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France

From rivals to partners, China and Europe are retooling ties, adviser says

A succession of leaders have beaten a path to Beijing with pragmatic cooperation in mind, according to former ambassador Wu Ken.

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Two Sessions 2026

Beijing vows to expand imports amid ‘China shock’ fears

Beijing promises to source advanced tech, consumer goods and agricultural products from overseas while diversifying markets.

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Commerce Minister Wang Wentao speaks at the 14th National People’s Congress in Beijing on March 6. Photo: AFP
China-Germany relations

Opinion | Merz’s China visit shows pragmatic diplomacy still matters

The German chancellor’s trip to Beijing suggests that Europe can de-risk from China while still pursuing mutually beneficial cooperation.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits the Forbidden City in Beijing on February 26. Photo: AFP
Mainland China

China in the crosshairs as EU launches sweeping plans to save industrial future

Proposals reveal EU anxiety over competing with Chinese products, security fears linked to Chinese investments and urgency to act.

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European Union

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.

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US-China trade war

Trump’s tariff wars reshaped US-China trade – at what cost to American firms?

US exporters lost tens of billions of US dollars in sales to China in 2025, economist says.

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US goods exports to China fell significantly in 2025, a victim of the trade war launched in April by US President Donald Trump. Photo: Reuters
European Union

Is Europe, the world’s geopolitical punching bag, ready to hit back?

The EU could land a range of economic blows if it wants to be more than a lightweight, researchers say.

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Europe might have trade punches it can land on the US and China but is it prepared to use them? Photo: Reuters
China exports

As China’s firms go global, foreign expertise is becoming a hot commodity

Chinese companies are rushing to hire a range of service contractors to help them expand overseas – from compliance experts to TikTok gurus.

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European Union

Opinion | Europe is ready for strategic autonomy, but at what cost?

The EU post-war project left Europe lagging behind the US and China. Now, without American protection, the continent must reclaim its edge.

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