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Ursula von der Leyen

Ursula von der Leyen is a prominent German politician currently serving as President of the European Commission, a role she has held since 2019. She was re-elected for a second term in July 2024. Prior to this influential European position, she had a distinguished career in German federal politics, notably as Minister for Family Affairs and Youth (2005-2009), Minister for Labour and Social Affairs (2009-2013) and the first female Minister for Defence (2013-2019). A medical doctor by training, her leadership at the Commission has focused on initiatives like the European Green Deal and coordinating the EU’s response to global challenges.

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese. Photo: AFP

My Take

My Take | China and the UN are not the problem in Ukraine and Palestine – the West is

Europe and America’s warmongering and genocide-enabling are at the roots of the world’s most dangerous geopolitical flashpoints.

15 Feb 2026 - 10:34PM

Munich Security Conference

As transatlantic divorce plays out in Munich, China enjoys the silence

15 Feb 2026 - 9:30PMvideocam

China-EU relations

EU seeks independence, survival amid China-US economic dominance

12 Feb 2026 - 6:05PMvideocam

India

India’s trade blitz seeks to keep afloat a sinking global order

‘Jolted out of its slumber’ by US tariffs, New Delhi is aggressively diversifying trade alliances to act as a bridge in a polarised world.

10 Feb 2026 - 8:54PM

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (centre) with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) and European Council President Antonio Costa at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on January 27. Photo: European Council/dpa

Ukraine war

Open Questions | Historian on Trump’s new world order and a Europe in crisis

Luuk van Middelaar explains return of great-power rule, Europe’s wake-up call and its struggle to fend off Putin in Ukraine and respond to ‘danger’ from US.

5 Feb 2026 - 12:20PMvideocam

US-China trade war

Canada’s former deputy PM hopes for less economic dependency on China in future

Canada’s former deputy prime minister supports economic system ‘in which China works’ but other countries’ vulnerabilities are limited.

5 Feb 2026 - 8:28AMvideocam

China economy

Opinion | US-China rivalry: great powers that don’t make things won’t be great for long

As globalisation falters, it is countries that focus on building productive capacity, not financial excess, that will come out on top.

2 Feb 2026 - 5:30AM

Children play next to The Bund Bull sculpture in Shanghai on April 9, 2025. Photo: AFP

Trade

Opinion | The India-EU trade pact is a rebuke of US economic coercion

Beyond trade liberalisation, the partnership will weaken Washington’s ability to use tariffs as leverage and dictate the rules of global economic engagement.

1 Feb 2026 - 5:30AM

US-China relations

Opinion | How the world can design a new trade architecture

Even as the US overhauls world trade norms, China’s quiet but influential role in redefining globalisation is impossible to ignore.

30 Jan 2026 - 7:49AM

China-EU relations

‘Mother of all trade deals’: EU pivots to India in historic trade shake-up

Brussels diversifies away from China and US risks, while the pact makes India a more attractive place for European firms to sell vehicles and fuel growth.

28 Jan 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

The European Council president, Antonio Costa (left); the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen (right); and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose ahead of their meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Banking & finance

Trump says the US dollar can move like a yo-yo. Will Treasuries be left hanging?

With the US president levelling threats at enemies, allies and his own central bank, alternatives like gold and Chinese assets are gaining appeal.

28 Jan 2026 - 11:18AMvideocam

India

India, EU ‘make history’ as they seal trade pact amid US tariff pressure

Both sides are ‘set to benefit’ from the deal that analysts say will underscore broader shifts under way in the global order.

27 Jan 2026 - 7:10PMvideocam

China-EU relations

European leaders say the quiet part out loud: order no longer constrains power

EU leaders appear to have finally accepted they are facing a new era of great power competition – the question now is how they respond.

27 Jan 2026 - 9:40AMvideocam

European Union

EU opens probe into Musk’s Grok over sexual AI deepfakes

Brussels targets X with a new probe into ‘digital undressing’, vowing to protect women and children from illegal AI content.

26 Jan 2026 - 7:50PM

The EU will investigate Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot for allegedly sharing illegal content, risking a hefty fine. Photo: TNS

India

EU envoys top guests at India celebration to seal trade deal

India and the EU have tried to cut dependence on Russia and the US respectively by diversifying imports and pushing their own domestic manufacturing.

25 Jan 2026 - 7:01PM

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrive for a photo opportunity ahead of their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, on February 28 last year. Photo: Reuters

My Take

My Take | Trump threatens Greenland but Nato chief says China is the real threat

EU and Nato ‘leaders’ can continue to act slavishly before the Americans. They are just making themselves irrelevant and despised.

25 Jan 2026 - 6:51PM

United States

Editorial | Trump’s antics at Davos further erode trust in US leadership

No exaggeration to say Trump is openly using US power to upend both the world economy and the global order.

23 Jan 2026 - 7:15AM

India

India, EU ramp up push for ‘historic’ free-trade deal amid US tariff tensions

A trade pact with the EU would offer an ‘alternative market’ for Indian goods amid a fraught global environment, analysts say.

22 Jan 2026 - 6:45PM

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting in New Delhi, India, in February 2025. Photo: Reuters

United States

Trump’s freewheeling Davos speech stirs unease among global audience

Harsh rhetoric from the US leader at forum combined threats towards allies with praise for traditional adversaries during a 70-minute talk.

22 Jan 2026 - 6:11AMvideocam

United States

Trump lays out Greenland-Arctic deal framework, pauses February tariffs

In his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, the US president vowed not to invade Greenland while slamming Nato and Europe.

22 Jan 2026 - 5:18AMvideocam

World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

Macron urges Europe to hit back against Trump’s threats

French president advocates use of the EU’s anti-coercion mechanism against US tariffs, as he warns of moving ‘towards a world without rules’.

27 Jan 2026 - 5:27AMvideocam

French President Emmanuel Macron, wearing aviator sunglasses due to an eye condition, delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Photo: Valeriano Di Domenico/World Ecomonic Forum/dpa

World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

China’s He Lifeng warns of ‘law of the jungle’, blasts protectionism, at Davos

Amid escalating transatlantic rifts fuelled by Donald Trump, vice-premier urges global cooperation, free trade and dialogue, pledging to boost imports and open China’s market.

20 Jan 2026 - 9:36PMvideocam

Vice-Premier He Lifeng delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Donald Trump

Allies tepid on joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ as countries study invites

Some leaders sign on to the Trump-chaired body, but initial reaction from two key allies, France and Canada, was lukewarm.

20 Jan 2026 - 12:29PM

Israel-Gaza war

Israel objects to composition of Trump-led Gaza ‘board of peace’

PM Netanyahu says the unveiling of the board was not coordinated with Israel and contradicted his government’s policy.

18 Jan 2026 - 2:05AM

European Union

South American bloc and EU sign long-awaited FTA amid Trump’s tariffs

The deal creates one of the world’s largest free trade areas after 25 years of tricky negotiations.

18 Jan 2026 - 7:56AM

A worker sets up the stage for the signing ceremony of the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur in Paraguay’s central bank in Asuncion on Friday. Photo: AFP

China-EU relations

China’s charm offensive: Beijing bypasses Brussels to soften EU trade push

From aircraft orders in France to reopened beef and pork markets for Ireland and Spain, mainland officials are leaning hard into diplomacy.

17 Jan 2026 - 12:13PMvideocam

European Union flags fly outside the bloc’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Beijing is ramping up bilateral diplomacy as the European Commission prepares for another confrontational year of trade action against China. Photo: AP

India

Germany’s Merz backs India-EU trade deal during first official visit to Asia

The German chancellor and India’s Modi have signed agreements aimed at boosting bilateral trade and enhancing defence cooperation.

13 Jan 2026 - 5:46PMvideocam

My Take

My Take | The days of EU and Nato may be numbered under von der Leyen and Kallas

Europe’s leaders continue to play supplicants to Trump, who may be an even bigger existential threat than Putin with his undisguised US imperialism.

11 Jan 2026 - 10:15PM

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Ursula von der Leyen

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}My Take | China and the UN are not the problem in Ukraine and Palestine – the West is

Europe and America’s warmongering and genocide-enabling are at the roots of the world’s most dangerous geopolitical flashpoints.

As transatlantic divorce plays out in Munich, China enjoys the silence

EU seeks independence, survival amid China-US economic dominance

India’s trade blitz seeks to keep afloat a sinking global order

‘Jolted out of its slumber’ by US tariffs, New Delhi is aggressively diversifying trade alliances to act as a bridge in a polarised world.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Open Questions | Historian on Trump’s new world order and a Europe in crisis

Luuk van Middelaar explains return of great-power rule, Europe’s wake-up call and its struggle to fend off Putin in Ukraine and respond to ‘danger’ from US.

Canada’s former deputy PM hopes for less economic dependency on China in future

Canada’s former deputy prime minister supports economic system ‘in which China works’ but other countries’ vulnerabilities are limited.

Opinion | US-China rivalry: great powers that don’t make things won’t be great for long

As globalisation falters, it is countries that focus on building productive capacity, not financial excess, that will come out on top.

Opinion | The India-EU trade pact is a rebuke of US economic coercion

Beyond trade liberalisation, the partnership will weaken Washington’s ability to use tariffs as leverage and dictate the rules of global economic engagement.

Opinion | How the world can design a new trade architecture

Even as the US overhauls world trade norms, China’s quiet but influential role in redefining globalisation is impossible to ignore.

‘Mother of all trade deals’: EU pivots to India in historic trade shake-up

Brussels diversifies away from China and US risks, while the pact makes India a more attractive place for European firms to sell vehicles and fuel growth.

Trump says the US dollar can move like a yo-yo. Will Treasuries be left hanging?

With the US president levelling threats at enemies, allies and his own central bank, alternatives like gold and Chinese assets are gaining appeal.

India, EU ‘make history’ as they seal trade pact amid US tariff pressure

Both sides are ‘set to benefit’ from the deal that analysts say will underscore broader shifts under way in the global order.

European leaders say the quiet part out loud: order no longer constrains power

EU leaders appear to have finally accepted they are facing a new era of great power competition – the question now is how they respond.

EU opens probe into Musk’s Grok over sexual AI deepfakes

Brussels targets X with a new probe into ‘digital undressing’, vowing to protect women and children from illegal AI content.

EU envoys top guests at India celebration to seal trade deal

India and the EU have tried to cut dependence on Russia and the US respectively by diversifying imports and pushing their own domestic manufacturing.

My Take | Trump threatens Greenland but Nato chief says China is the real threat

EU and Nato ‘leaders’ can continue to act slavishly before the Americans. They are just making themselves irrelevant and despised.

Editorial | Trump’s antics at Davos further erode trust in US leadership

No exaggeration to say Trump is openly using US power to upend both the world economy and the global order.

India, EU ramp up push for ‘historic’ free-trade deal amid US tariff tensions

A trade pact with the EU would offer an ‘alternative market’ for Indian goods amid a fraught global environment, analysts say.

Trump’s freewheeling Davos speech stirs unease among global audience

Harsh rhetoric from the US leader at forum combined threats towards allies with praise for traditional adversaries during a 70-minute talk.

Trump lays out Greenland-Arctic deal framework, pauses February tariffs

In his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, the US president vowed not to invade Greenland while slamming Nato and Europe.

Macron urges Europe to hit back against Trump’s threats

French president advocates use of the EU’s anti-coercion mechanism against US tariffs, as he warns of moving ‘towards a world without rules’.

China’s He Lifeng warns of ‘law of the jungle’, blasts protectionism, at Davos

Amid escalating transatlantic rifts fuelled by Donald Trump, vice-premier urges global cooperation, free trade and dialogue, pledging to boost imports and open China’s market.

Allies tepid on joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ as countries study invites

Some leaders sign on to the Trump-chaired body, but initial reaction from two key allies, France and Canada, was lukewarm.

Israel objects to composition of Trump-led Gaza ‘board of peace’

PM Netanyahu says the unveiling of the board was not coordinated with Israel and contradicted his government’s policy.

South American bloc and EU sign long-awaited FTA amid Trump’s tariffs

The deal creates one of the world’s largest free trade areas after 25 years of tricky negotiations.

China’s charm offensive: Beijing bypasses Brussels to soften EU trade push

From aircraft orders in France to reopened beef and pork markets for Ireland and Spain, mainland officials are leaning hard into diplomacy.

Germany’s Merz backs India-EU trade deal during first official visit to Asia

The German chancellor and India’s Modi have signed agreements aimed at boosting bilateral trade and enhancing defence cooperation.

My Take | The days of EU and Nato may be numbered under von der Leyen and Kallas

Europe’s leaders continue to play supplicants to Trump, who may be an even bigger existential threat than Putin with his undisguised US imperialism.

My Take | China and the UN are not the problem in Ukraine and Palestine – the West is

Open Questions | Historian on Trump’s new world order and a Europe in crisis