It will be recorded in the history of international relations that all countries of the Balkans peninsula, starting from Slovenia to Bulgaria had or have officially applied for membership in the EU and NATO, except for Serbia which has declared… Read More ›

European Union
Montenegro President Đukanović’s war with the USA (and the West)
On 30 August 2020, Montenegro held the 11th parliamentary election since the first multi-party election in 1990, and the fifth since Montenegro gained independence in 2006. The turnout was as high as 76.65%. The elections brought an end to the… Read More ›
EU-China pact sparks concern over labor standards, human rights
A major investment pact between China and the European Union, which wrapped up negotiations on the deal this week, has sparked concerns that it will give the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) a free pass on human rights and labor standards,… Read More ›
EU-China trade agreement, step forward or tripwire?
The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) just signed between the EU and China is not the solution to commercial and economic problems, but it could be a step forward or become a tripwire for bigger problems around China and the world. In… Read More ›
EU’s sanity is the basis of the China-EU investment deal 2020
The correct description of the Western reaction to the deal as “… greeted with a shrug by underwhelmed analysts” by a brilliant Jan 4 China News essay has exposed the understated insanity that many mainstream pundits remain ignorant and naïve… Read More ›
China-EU investment deal: ‘landmark’ treaty greeted with a shrug by underwhelmed analysts
The China-EU investment deal agreed to in principle on Wednesday has been greeted with a shrug by economists, with some questioning whether an under-pressure European Commission has oversold a deal that will not significantly move the needle in economic terms…. Read More ›
China, EU nail down market-opening investment pact
The European Union and China’s agreement today (December 30) on a new investment pact is either a sign that Brussels is willing to sacrifice its values on the altar of trade or a clever bit of realpolitik to assert independence… Read More ›
European logistics hubs of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
The second decade of the 21st century put the geoeconomic emphasis and cooperation within the framework of China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative into the China – East European states relations. China’s “One belt, One road” initiative today creates prerequisites… Read More ›
Will China be able to win over Europe?
As the global geopolitical sphere shapes up into a battleground between the US and China, Europe will have to ally either an erratic Donald Trump or a dubious Xi Jinping. The bright side of the Sino-European relationship Trade between the… Read More ›
An occasion for the European Union to reaffirm its standing on security policies and human rights
Vice-President of the EU Commission Margaritis Shinas was a keynote speaker at this summer’s Diplomatic Conference in Vienna organised by the International Institute IFIMES, Media Platform Modern Diplomacy and their partners. High dignitary of the Commission seized the occasion to… Read More ›
Europe just declared independence from China
As the EU navigates an increasingly Sino-American world, it finally sees the need to stand together, even against Beijing. China’s diplomats were already having a terrible year in Europe, but this week they managed to make it even worse. At… Read More ›
US allies once seemed cowed by China. Now they’re responding with rare coordination
Chinese President Xi Jinping surprised the world with a speech at Davos in 2017, defending free trade and joint action on climate change as then US president-elect Donald Trump argued for precisely the opposite. It might have been an overambitious pitch by Xi… Read More ›
China ‘needs to win over Europe’ after loss of trust and impact of US rivalry
When Washington imposed tariffs on Chinese imports to set off the US-China trade war in 2018, Beijing warned Europe not to “stab China in the back”, yet the continent has since criticised China on issues including trade, the coronavirus and… Read More ›
MPs from eight countries form new global coalition to counter China
What does the chair of the Australian parliament’s Intelligence Committee have in common with a Greens MP, a former Japanese Defence Minister, and a former Liberal Canadian attorney-general? The answer is China. Today, a group of 19 MPs from eight… Read More ›
China faces fight to hang on to foreign manufacturers as US, Japan, EU make Covid-19 exit plans
Three of the world’s four largest economies, the United States, Japan and the European Union, are drawing up separate plans to lure their companies out of China. Over the space of two weeks, powerful figures from three of the world’s… Read More ›
Is China powerful enough to change the world order?
As the US president Donald Trump got his trade deal lately with the European Union president Jean-Claude Juncker, it seems that all those recent tensions between the world’s largest economy and the EU has come to an end. To China,… Read More ›
China, Germany step up as U.S. retires from world leadership
The U.S. traditionally takes point in the search for common approaches to the big global issues of the day at G-20 summits. Not this time. When world leaders meet in Hamburg on Friday, China and Germany will move in to… Read More ›
Germany warns that liberal world order would end if US cedes leadership to China and Russia
Germany’s veteran finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, urged the U.S. to limit Russian and Chinese influence or risk bringing about “the end of our liberal world order.” The comments by Schaeuble, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet since she took… Read More ›
EU upsets China with new steel price investigation
The European Union has launched a new investigation into whether Chinese manufacturers are selling steel into Europe at unfairly low prices, angering China which says Europe’s steel problems are due to the region’s own economic weakness. The European Commission has… Read More ›
China slams EU Commissioner’s ‘slitty eyes’ comment
China expressed disdain Wednesday over European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger’s use of the term “slitty eyes” to describe Chinese people in a leaked recording of a speech to business leaders. In the comments, secretly filmed at a Hamburg event earlier this… Read More ›
Could Hong Kong, after a merger with Shenzhen, help China’s One Belt One Road thrive?
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) June 2016 research report “Neoliberalism: Oversold?” which was described as “a political bombshell … that caused a near-panic among advocates of free market policies” by the Foreign Policy analyst Rick Rowden [Note 1]… Read More ›
China must be stopped from blocking supply in the South China Sea
Australia and other countries are currently pushing for freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Sea, in response to China’s aggression and illegal claims in the region. For the immediate future, these countries should have a permanent presence in… Read More ›
International investors are pulling out of China in favour of India because of China’s interference in stock market
The tumult in China’s stock markets has turned into a blessing for Indian shareholders. International investors are pulling out of China, fuelling record outflows through the Shanghai-Hong Kong exchange link, amid a $2.8 trillion plunge in mainland equity values since… Read More ›
India to beat China again as fastest-growing economy in 2016 says IMF
India will be the world’s fastest growing economy for the second consecutive year in 2016 at 7.5 per cent, IMF today said, even as it lowered its current year global economy growth forecast to 3.3 per cent. In its World… Read More ›
China leads in research for ‘coat of invisibility’ and other ‘super materials’
People are impressed by the coat of invisibility in the fiction movie Harry Potter, but you perhaps do not know that researchers in various countries are making great efforts to develop various super materials including the material to make such… Read More ›
Asia’s dominance in manufacturing will endure – that will make development harder for others
By making things and selling them to foreigners, China has transformed itself—and the world economy with it. In 1990 it produced less than 3% of global manufacturing output by value; its share now is nearly a quarter. China produces about… Read More ›
EU cannot maintain protection against Chinese imports, as rules change in China’s favour
European fears of being forced to lower tariff defences against cheap Chinese imports have grown following a confidential warning from the EU’s own lawyers, who say the bloc should not ignore changes to global trade rules set to favour Beijing…. Read More ›
‘Made in China’ tops the EU’s most unsafe list
Every parent assumes the plush doll they bought for their child at the mall is safe, but if it has a “Made in China” label, you should think twice. A European Watchdog agency issued 2,435 notifications of unsafe products in 2014, which… Read More ›
Japan, US, ASEAN direct investment in China drops dramatically, as China considered less attractive
Japan‘s direct investment in China in 2014 dropped 38.8 percent from the previous year to $4.33 billion, the Commerce Ministry said Thursday. The plunge, which compares with a decline of about 4 percent in 2013, reflects soured bilateral relations over… Read More ›
China’s says its New Silk Road will be America’s ultimate nightmare
The following is a translation from Chinese media. The website of a Spanish media outlet reported on October 9 that while the US “New Century” is rapidly aging, the Beijing–Moscow-Berlin strategic trade alliance may be a reality in the future…. Read More ›
Philippines to propose no action to raise tension with China in sea disputes
The Philippines will propose a freeze on all activity that raises tension in disputed waters in the South China Sea as part of a three-part plan at a regional security meeting next month, Manila‘s foreign minister said on Tuesday. Southeast… Read More ›
China’s exports gain steam but imports fall, signalling weaker domestic demand
China‘s exports gained steam in May thanks to firmer global demand, data showed on Sunday, but an unexpected fall in imports signaled weaker domestic demand that could continue to weigh on the world’s second-largest economy. Exports rose 7 percent in… Read More ›
China February exports plunge by 18%
China‘s exports unexpectedly tumbled in February, swinging the trade balance into deficit and adding to fears of a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy despite the Lunar New Year holidays being blamed for the slide. The sharp drop in exports… Read More ›
EU-China investment pact of limited but global significance
In the debate about the transatlantic free trade agreement one issue has remained below the radar: the European Union (EU) is shortly to also commence negotiations with China. On October 18, 2013 the EU member states are set to pass… Read More ›
China state sector a honey pot for corrupt officials
In March last year, after getting government approval to go ahead with a $900 million refinery expansion in China’s southeastern Fujian province, state-run oil giant Sinopec Corp warned the team handling the project against taking bribes. “Project engineering and construction… Read More ›
China’s role in the French Pivot
During his recent visit to Jakarta for a bilateral with Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, France’s top diplomat, Minister Laurent Fabius, dropped by the Asean Secretariat and there announced to a regional audience that his country had made a “pivot” to… Read More ›
China’s growth affects future of Europe
The EU of social welfare or of generational warfare, the continent of debt-bound economies or of knowledge-based community? Is the predatory generation in power? Why the only organised counter-narrative comes as a lukewarm Mouse Mickey – between Anonymous and Pirate… Read More ›
EU competing with China in Latin America
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other EU leaders have become increasingly concerned that China’s continued rise in Latin America could squeeze out European business. China has not only increased the quantity of its exports to Latin America, but also used… Read More ›
Longer wait for China residency permits irk foreign firms
Foreign executives in China are upset at a new rule that allows authorities to hold passports for up to 15 working days when processing and renewing residency permits, saying it could disrupt essential business travel within China and abroad. The changes are… Read More ›
China launches trial carbon trading scheme
It is well-known that when rolling out a new and significant policy, Chinese officials are extraordinary cautious. Those who expect radical shifts over night are always left disappointed. So it should come as no surprise that the latest development in… Read More ›
China destroys Belgian chocolates as trade spat intensifies
Belgians are justly proud of their nation’s reputation as one of the world’s finest chocolate producers. So when Chinese authorities announced this week that they had destroyed an unspecified amount of their chocolates because they contained toxic substances, alarm bells rang. The Belgian… Read More ›
Wine: China hitting the bottle!
Looks like France is waking up with a hangover and will be in need of some hair of the dog to get through China’s statement that there will be an anti-dumping probe carried out by the latter on wine exports… Read More ›
China’s reverse imperialism – West contains China’s East, China moves West
The US still has not learned that China does not move in a linear, predictable, pattern. As the US and its allies gain geopolitical ground in the Pacific and power balancing shapes a semi-circle in China’s East, China projects its… Read More ›
European companies complain about China’s regulatory discrimination
An unlevel playing field in China costs European companies € 17.5 billion in missed revenues annually, according to a survey of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. The findings – which also highlight alleged regulatory discrimination as a key concern… Read More ›
While Belarus borrows, China makes money
China is building an entire city in the forests near the Belorussian capital Minsk to create a manufacturing springboard between the European Union and Russia. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko allotted an area 40 percent larger than Manhattan around Minsk’s international… Read More ›
China, Switzerland sign MOU on concluding Free Trade talks
In relations with China, symbols often have a greater importance than details of contracts. During the stay of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in the Alpine country which he visited in 2010 as vice premier, Li has met political, business leaders and… Read More ›
Australia’s relationship with China is beset with misperceptions
For all its vision and clarity, Australia‘s defence white paper belies a harsh truth: our relationship with China is beset with misperceptions, write Kerry Brown and Bates Gill. China is beset The Australian Defence White Paper released this month takes… Read More ›
Will China buy up Greece’s best assets?
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras headed to China, amid hopes that the world`s second largest economy can revive one of the euro zone`s most debt laden countries. Greece is hoping that the five-day trade mission, which includes a delegation of… Read More ›
In China, the license plates can cost more than the car
Shanghai’s busy streets teem with Buicks, Fords, Volkswagens, and Toyotas. More than 9 out of 10 cars in the world’s most populous city are made by foreign companies, and it’s not just a reflection of mainlanders’ preference for Western design. Some local… Read More ›
Russia plans $25-$30 billion oil-for-loans deal with China
Rosneft is seeking to borrow up to $30 billion from China in exchange for possibly doubling oil supplies, making Beijing the largest consumer of Russian oil and further diverting supplies away from Europe. Four industry sources familiar with the situation… Read More ›