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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.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks as President Donald Trump listens at a meeting in the White House in Washington on December 2. Photo: CNP/Abaca Press/TNS
US-China relations

Editorial | Less hostility towards China in new US security strategy is welcome

The plan’s watering down of America’s antagonism towards China bodes well for both nations and the world.

Britain

Starmer pressured to intercept Andrew Tate in Dubai over UK rape charges

Japan

Macroscope | Japan’s economic security push heralds rising protectionism in Asia

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Ukraine war

Rubio says won’t force deal on Ukraine as Europeans join Miami talks

Trump envoys are meeting officials from Kyiv and Moscow, but the question of ceding territory remains a stumbling block in negotiations.

Residents react at the site of a Russian air strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Friday. Photo: Reuters
France

Shein avoids France site ban after removing illegal goods

French court rejects Shein site ban, citing sporadic offences, as platform removes illicit items, but must enforce age checks for adult products.

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Russia

Putin says West holds key to peace as Russia advances in Ukraine

Putin demands the West and Kyiv act on Ukraine peace, vows more territorial gains and warns of severe consequences over frozen assets.

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Ukraine war

EU agrees US$106 billion loan for Ukraine, but without Russian assets

EU leaders reach a compromise after plans to use frozen Russian assets failed to gain backing.

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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky after a press conference in Brussels on Thursday. Photo: AFP
China exports

China confirms issuing of first general licences for rare earth exports

Beijing says it is now granting longer permits giving foreign companies easier access to vital minerals, but many details remain unclear.

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China-EU relations

Discriminatory and egregious: China blasts EU’s subsidy crackdown

Commerce authorities vow to defend firms such as Nuctech and CRRC, while Beijing continues talks with Brussels over EV tariffs.

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Jimmy Lai trial

Beijing, Hong Kong slam G7 over criticism of Jimmy Lai trial verdict

Chinese ministry’s arm in Hong Kong says attempts to pressure nation akin to ‘mantis trying to stop a chariot or ant trying to shake a tree’.

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A national flag flies outside the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong. Photo: Warton Li
Cambodia

Thai-Cambodia border dispute reignites with bombing claims of casino hub

Cambodia accuses Thailand of bombing Poipet amid escalating border disputes, prompting Asean emergency talks and global ceasefire appeals.

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A view of the closed Poipet international border checkpoint between Cambodia and Thailand in Poipet town in June. Photo: AFP
China trade

As trade deficit mounts, is EU selling what China wants to buy?

Traditional European exports like cars are losing their appeal, while restrictions crimp sales of sought-after lithography machines.

China-EU relations

EU facing crunch talks over Ukraine, China and its economic future

EU leaders are set to meet amid growing concern in Brussels that the bloc’s divisions will impede meaningful action across a range of issues.

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China-EU relations

Opinion | A complicated new EU-China showdown is quietly taking shape

For now, both sides still need each other and there is nowhere else to turn. But behind this reliance, irritation and paranoia are rising.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Britain

‘Big step forward’: UK rejoins Erasmus exchange programme in post-Brexit reset

After a five-year absence, the UK returns to the EU study abroad scheme, with 100,000 people estimated to benefit in the first year alone.

Since 1987, nine million people have taken part in the Erasmus scheme. Photo: Shutterstock
Jimmy Lai trial

Open court, detailed ruling in Lai trial ‘prove Hong Kong rule of law strong’

Lawyers urge members of public to study the court’s judgment before drawing conclusions after Western countries hit out at Lai verdict.

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Nato

Opinion | As Doha Forum made clear, Europe is losing its seat at the table

Consumed by Ukraine, the EU has effectively retreated from global engagement. An urgent foreign policy recalibration is needed.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

EU drops 2035 combustion engine ban in victory for its carmakers

Europe pivots to bolstering its crisis-hit auto sector in a major green policy retreat.

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Fumes emerge from the exhaust pipe of a car with a combustible engine in Berlin. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

Zelensky demands justice as nations back Ukraine reparations; will Russia pay?

US$232 billion in frozen Russian assets are central to a new Hague-based commission managing Ukraine war damage claims.

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Ukraine

As I see it | Russia will end the European Union, not the other way around

The end of history is more history, as Hegel might have said, with the postmodern unified EU potentially reverting back to rival modern states.

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China-EU relations

China slaps anti-dumping duties on EU pork, but lowers final rates

Beijing goes ahead with tariffs of up to 19.8 per cent on pork products from the European Union after intense lobbying by several leaders.

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A customer purchases pork at a supermarket in China’s central Anhui province. China is the world’s largest pork consumer. Photo: Getty Images
Jimmy Lai trial

‘Despicable’: Hong Kong slams Western ‘smears’ as US calls for Jimmy Lai release

‘These biased statements and malicious smears from external forces precisely reflect that the national security risks we face are real,’ government says.

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A Correctional Services Department vehicle carrying Jimmy Lai is escorted by police officers to West Kowloon Court. Photo: Karma Lo
Ukraine war

US officials say Washington agrees to give Ukraine security guarantees

‘Article 5-like’ security offer emerges at talks in Berlin in a bid to secure an end to the nearly four-year Russia-Ukraine war.

Jimmy Lai trial

Jimmy Lai’s conviction in Hong Kong becomes flashpoint between China, West

Western nations unlikely to hit city with more sanctions as they need Beijing’s cooperation to offset unfair US trade practices, experts say.

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Consumer protection in Hong Kong

Hong Kong consumer watchdog finds 1 in 4 face washes fall short on ingredients

Consumers urged to try a small portion on skin beforehand as a precaution when using cleansers that are highly acidic.

Consumer Council CEO Alaina Shum (left) and Kenneth Chan hold a press conference at the council’s office in North Point. Photo: Jelly Tse
Jimmy Lai trial

Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai found guilty on all charges in national security trial

City leader John Lee welcomes conviction, calls it an upholding of justice and a safeguard for Hong Kong’s core values.

A Correctional Services Department vehicle carrying Jimmy Lai is escorted by police to the court. Photo: Karma Lo
France

French farmers spray manure, block roads over cow ‘mass slaughter’ policy

Farmers in southern France are incensed by the government’s mandatory slaughter of herds to contain ‘lumpy skin disease’.

Ukraine war

Zelensky suggests Ukraine could drop Nato goal for security guarantees

The shift, which includes a call for ‘Article 5-like’ guarantees, comes as Washington presses for an end to the four-year Ukraine war.

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