Advertisement
Advertisement
European Union
TOPIC
 / location

European Union

European Union
European Union
The latest breaking news and stories on the European Union (EU), an economic and political union of 27 member states mainly located in Europe, which accounts for around a sixth of global economic output. Also covering the EU’s relationship with the UK (post Brexit), China and the US, plus commentary and updates on EU legislation, the euro and trade.
A woman poses next to humanoid robots at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai on Saturday. More than 400 such models have been developed in China, according to official data. Photo: AFP
China exports

‘Made in China’ increasingly a symbol for hi-tech and high value

Led by robots and EVs, the country’s move up the industrial value chain is gaining momentum, June’s industrial export figures show.

Alibaba

Alibaba vows to appeal US$629m EU fine for breaches of Digital Services Act

China-EU relations

Can Europe win a trade war with China? It may depend on how victory is defined

videocam
4
China-EU relations

Opinion | As the EU erects barriers, China’s trade tilts south and east

Europe’s importance in China’s trade calculations is shrinking as Beijing prioritises the Global South, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

videocam
A participant addresses employees of German car maker Volkswagen during a rally by German trade union IG Metall to protest against restructuring and mass job cut plans, at the VW plant in Zwickau, eastern Germany, on July 9. Photo: AFP
China-EU relations

France, Germany put up united front against China’s economic ‘challenges’

Both nations call on Brussels to strengthen its defences as EU adds US$1.14 billion a day to its China trade shortfall, while losing jobs.

videocam
16
China-EU relations

EU fines AliExpress US$630 million over illegal products

It is the largest fine ever imposed under the EU’s powerful Digital Services Act, part of the bloc’s legal armoury to police big tech.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China airliners

EU test pilots find ‘no major hardware risks’ with China’s C919 jet: sources

European pilots are now wrapping up their long flight testing process for the C919, but it is still unclear when the jet might be certified, sources say.

videocam
9
The C919 passenger jet has been in service domestically in China for three years. Photo: Xinhua
Ukraine war

Kyiv pounded in Russian missile barrage as air defences run low

At least one person was killed and 16 were wounded, heaping pressure on Kyiv’s foreign partners to accelerate supply of anti-ballistic defences.

France

France and Germany reach nuclear deal as Europe builds up defences

France is the only nuclear power in the 27-member EU, while Germany plans to build Europe’s strongest conventional military by 2039.

Britain

Opinion | As the UK discusses an EU return, Hong Kong offers lessons

Like Hong Kong, which functions as a special administrative region of China, could the United Kingdom rejoin the European Union with a special administrative name?

videocam
Workers remove a Union Jack flag, near the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben, on May 14. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

Europe’s carmakers plan a comeback – powered by EU policies and Chinese tech

New regulations will help EU produce electric vehicles at a price point to match China, but European job losses would be among trade-offs.

videocam
21
Illustration: Davies Christian
China airliners

Taking flight: Airbus secures a big order from Chinese airlines

Air China says it will purchase 15 widebody A350-900 jets, while subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines will buy 40 narrowbody A320neo aircraft.

Middle East

Chemical tanker seized off Yemen coast in suspected Somali pirate hijack

The Asana, a small tanker with no confirmed flag, had listed the Somali port of Bosaso as its next destination.

Ukraine war

Is Europe’s anti-missile move with Ukraine ‘insurance’ against unpredictable US?

Europe is ‘quietly planning for the day it might have to stand on its own’ while aligning with US calls to do more on defence, analysts say.

French President Emmanuel Macron hugs Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the annual Bastille Day military parade in Paris on Tuesday. Zelensky has pressed European allies to boost Kyiv’s air defences before winter. Photo: AFP
South Korea

Why South Korea is racing to build a sovereign AI model for cybersecurity

Fears over access to foreign AI models have accelerated Seoul’s push to control the systems used to defend critical infrastructure.

videocam
Officials at the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) check internet systems at the KISA situation room amid reports that several computers were struck by a new type of ransomware the previous night, in Seoul, South Korea, on June 28, 2017. Photo: EPA
Greece

4 Greek MPs charged over multimillion EU farm fraud scandal

European prosecutors say Greek state employees and politicians helped dozens of farmers scam the EU out of over US$22.5 million in subsidies.

Ukraine war

Zelensky faces fury on Ukrainian streets after dropping defence minister

The air force’s deputy commander has resigned in protest, calling Mykhailo Fedorov’s removal ‘a great evil’ for Ukraine’s defence.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China-EU relations

EU’s trade panic over China

China’s growing trade surplus with the European Union has stoked anxieties within the bloc, driving defensive actions to protect its critical domestic markets.

EU’s trade panic over China
China-EU relations

EU accuses China of seeking to reshape global order in stark new strategy paper

China trying to ‘reshape the global order in line with their interests’, EU says in some of bloc’s strongest official criticism of Beijing.

videocam
78
Britain

‘End of my political journey’: UK’s Starmer takes last questions session

The prime minister, who steps down next week, says he is leaving Britain ‘in better shape than I found it’.

South Korea

Sunk deals: why South Korea’s submarine exports are running aground

After losing bids in Canada and Poland, analysts say Korean shipyards are learning how strategic alignment can trump commercial merit.

South Korean submarines take part in a naval fleet review off the southern port city of Busan last year. Photo: AFP
China exports

Feeling the heat? As China exports soar, Europe’s ports are congested

Amid heatwaves, strikes and surging import volumes, strains on the transport network are causing frequent logistics bottlenecks.

A China-Europe freight train departing from Tongjiang North Railway Station in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on August 9, 2024. Photo: Xinhua
Spain

Gibraltar and Spain end border checks in historic UK-EU treaty

Land border at ‘The Rock’ is eliminated, ending routine checks for thousands of daily cross-border travellers.

Germany

German deaths rise 32% during record June heatwave, data shows

About 23,900 people died between June 22 and June 28 – an increase of 7,100 compared with the two previous weeks.

China-EU relations

EU signals emergency import curbs after dramatic growth in Chinese trade gap

Brussels looking at ‘case-by-case’ tariffs and quotas after the trade surplus expands by almost a quarter in the first half of the year.

videocam
33
The EU recently imposed anti-dumping duties on Chinese tyres. Photo: Xinhua
Social media

EU demands ‘youth mode’ to protect children from addictive social media features

The addictive features include infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and highly personalised recommender systems.

A teenager looks at a smartphone displaying the TikTok logo in Brussels on July 7. Photo: AFP
China trade

China’s trade surges in first half of 2026, extending growth streak

Exports rose by 27 per cent year on year and imports grew by 36 per cent last month, both beating projections.

11
US-China trade war

Why ‘reverse tech transfer’ from China won’t happen in the US auto industry

Experts say political resistance blocks technology transfer that could help US carmakers compete with Chinese rivals.

videocam
31
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement