Ursula von der Leyen

Russia says Putin open to Ukraine war talks with France’s Macron

21 Dec 2025 - 1:20PMvideocam

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

18 Dec 2025 - 2:07PMvideocam

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.

17 Dec 2025 - 8:16AMvideocam

The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas signs an agreement to transfer to Ukraine a tranche of proceeds from frozen Russian assets during a meeting in Lviv, Ukraine, on May 9. Photo: AP

Australia

World leaders express horror at Bondi Beach attack as vigils held for victims

Israel’s Herzog condemned the ‘cruel attack on Jews’ by ‘terrorists’; Trump branded the shooting that killed 15 people ‘purely antisemitic’.

15 Dec 2025 - 6:28AM

My Take

My Take | The emerging axis of lawlessness – the European Union, United States and Israel

From Ukraine to the Caribbean and Middle East, we are witnessing the application of the law of the jungle by the West and its ally.

14 Dec 2025 - 10:15PM

Belarus agrees to stop balloon flights into Lithuania amid hybrid attack fears

The incidents have caused over a dozen closures of Vilnius airport in recent months, prompting Lithuania to declare a state of emergency.

14 Dec 2025 - 2:24AM

An undated image shows an officer inspecting a balloon used to smuggle cigarettes into Lithuania. Photo: State Border Guard Service via AP

European allies back Ukraine’s Zelensky after Trump criticism

Ukrainian president met leaders in London and Brussels, declaring that ceding territory to Russia - a central point of the US proposal - was impossible.

9 Dec 2025 - 9:16AM

China-France relations

Macron bypasses EU in bid to boost France-China ties

French President Emmanuel Macron left Ursula von der Leyen in Europe, as European leaders sidestep the EU and seek to boost bilateral ties with China.

4 Dec 2025 - 5:07PM

China-France relations

China and France should ‘understand and support each other’, Xi tells Macron

The pair meet in Beijing for ‘candid and fruitful’ talks followed by the signing of 12 deals covering everything from nuclear power to pandas.

4 Dec 2025 - 8:15PM

Presidents Xi Jinping and Emmanuel Macron at a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

Back to the drawing board: EU revives faltering China de-risking plans

Twin proposals aim to boost economic arsenal while cutting China dependence as 27-nation bloc fights for survival in era of trade warfare.

3 Dec 2025 - 11:34PMvideocam

EU flags flutter outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. The bloc aims to use its existing economic tools more aggressively and with overall resilience objectives in mind. Photo: Reuters

EU abandons WTO case against China over alleged coercion of Lithuania

Brussels ends its challenge after saying flows have resumed, though critics note Lithuanian exports to China remain far below 2021 levels.

2 Dec 2025 - 4:36AMvideocam

EU’s von der Leyen won’t go to China with French President Macron

The absence of an EU leader from talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping would represent a break with recent tradition.

28 Nov 2025 - 6:55PM

US and Ukraine refine draft of peace plan under Trump deadline pressure

Talks on a 28-point proposal to end Russia’s war held in Geneva after Trump set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to approve the plan.

24 Nov 2025 - 3:09PM

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
Andriy Yermak and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio talk to the press in Geneva, Switzerland on Sunday. Photo: Keystone via AP

Europe seeks common ground with Indo-Pacific nations bruised by US-China rivalry

Senior officials and diplomats from Asia, Africa and the Pacific will attend a forum in Brussels. Beijing and Washington aren’t invited.

20 Nov 2025 - 12:00PM

US tariffs and Chinese export controls have set off a global scramble for diversification. Photo: AP

EU recalibrates on China as it seeks rare earths breakthrough

Official sources say Brussels is in ‘de-escalation mode’ as it tries to convince Beijing to issue more export licences for critical minerals.

17 Nov 2025 - 5:48PMvideocam

7 minutes on Asia: Europe’s struggle for relevance in the age of Trump’s ‘G2’

A brief discussion on the Indo-Pacific suggests a union that is increasingly peripheral – on China and arguably almost everything else.

7 Nov 2025 - 5:34PMvideocam

Will EU ‘play hardball’ in US-China rivalry? Brussels faces division on autonomy

China’s efforts to persuade EU to treat ties ‘as a strategic partnership are reaching their limits’, says former diplomat Cui Hongjian.

7 Nov 2025 - 9:06AMvideocam

Opinion | Hopes of EU-China reset back amid US-China truce – but will it last?

Easing of pressure from Trump and signs of an end to Chinese subsidies for EVs could see the EU return to a softer diplomatic engagement.

7 Nov 2025 - 6:05AMvideocam

China technology

Opinion | The quiet US-China tech contest for the future

The competition will be decided by who builds the most productive, trusted and durable infrastructure. Those choices will shape billions of lives.

31 Oct 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Caught between China and the US, Europe stumbles towards its independence day

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen is leading a growing chorus for action but progress remains slow.

29 Oct 2025 - 8:14PMvideocam

The EU is reliant on China for its access to rare earth elements. Photo: Reuters

Chinese premier urges EU to steer ties in ‘right direction’ amid trade discord

Also on Asean sidelines, Beijing’s No 2 official calls for deeper economic cooperation with Australia despite recent air encounter.

27 Oct 2025 - 8:13PMvideocam

European Council President Antonio Costa (left) meets Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday. Photo: Xinhua

Von der Leyen vows to strike back against China as EU feels rare earths squeeze

The bloc is ready to use all of the tools at its disposal in response to Beijing’s export controls, commission chief says.

25 Oct 2025 - 5:51PMvideocam

137

EU takes tentative step toward using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine

Leaders left the door open for a US$162 billion financing plan as Zelensky pushes, arguing: ‘Russia brought war to our land and they have to pay’.

24 Oct 2025 - 10:09AMvideocam

EU sanctions state-linked Chinese oil companies over Russia war support

Beijing slams latest punishment ensnaring 15 entities, reiterating it ‘has never provided lethal weapons to any party to the conflict’.

23 Oct 2025 - 9:30PMvideocam

Oil pumpjacks outside Almetyevsk, Russia, on July 14. The EU accused the newly sanctioned refineries of processing Russian-origin crude oil that provides revenue to the Kremlin’s war effort against Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

China agrees to crisis talks in Brussels to discuss rare earths compromise

EU trade chief to meet Chinese counterpart to find ‘urgent solutions’ to China’s tightening of its restrictions on rare earth exports.

22 Oct 2025 - 2:03AMvideocam

European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic spoke for “almost two hours” with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Tuesday, during which the Chinese official agreed to talks in Brussels. Photo: Reuters

My Take

My Take | The times of giants are gone and a new ‘century of humiliation’ awaits Europe

China has mistakenly thought the European Union could play a greater and more independent role in world affairs, not necessarily to tilt towards Beijing but to stop being a lapdog to Washington.

12 Oct 2025 - 11:45PM