The US government on Thursday issued new Iran-related sanctions, targeting entities including, for the first time, a Chinese “teapot,” or independent refinery, and vessels that supplied crude oil to such processing plants. The company affected is Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical Co, Ltd, which processes Iranian crude oil. “So-called ‘teapot’ refinery purchases of Iranian oil provide […]
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will travel to China in April. This was confirmed by a Spanish government spokesperson on Thursday evening. Sánchez is expected to meet with President Xi Jinping. The Spanish head of government will also visit Vietnam during his trip to Asia, the spokesperson said. Sánchez last visited China in September, where […]
Niger expelled three Chinese oil executives in a dispute over disparities between the salaries of expatriate staff and lower-paid local workers, Oil Minister Sahabi Oumarou said. The officials were Niger-based directors of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the West African Oil Pipeline Company (WAPCo) and the joint venture oil refinery SORAZ.There has been dissatisfaction […]
The new short study “Focused Multilateralism: How China and Germany Can Cooperate Better on Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation” by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung presents several possibilities for cooperation between Germany and China in the field of disarmament. The authors also list concrete steps for more dialog on the topic.The study “Nighttime Light Development Index: A New […]
Several member states support the Czech Republic’s initiative to fund Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The US foreign broadcaster based in Prague is affected by cuts made by the US government. In addition to the Czech Republic, Germany, the Baltic states, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Sweden signed a joint declaration to this effect.The ten […]
The EU Commission plans to adopt its Steel and Metals Action Plan on Wednesday, which aims to address China’s overcapacity in the sector. The plan is intended to reverse the decline of the sector in Europe and support decarbonization. The draft has seven sub-items:
The Belgian police have raided Huawei’s Brussels headquarters and several homes in Belgium and Portugal. The background to this is a corruption investigation into the Chinese technology company. According to reports in the media Follow the Money, Le Soir and Knack, Huawei lobbyists allegedly bribed up to 15 current and former MEPs to influence political […]
The European Parliament has sharply criticized the deportation of Uyghur refugees from Thailand to China. On Thursday, MEPs called on the Thai government to stop further forced returns to dangerous countries of origin. Extradition agreements with China should also be suspended as long as Beijing does not guarantee the basic human rights of the deported […]
In light of Washington’s erratic trade and tariff decisions, Beijing currently appears to be the more reliable partner for the European Union. However, current trade data shows that the relationship remains complicated, and China’s trade surplus and overcapacity are not abating. In January and February 2025, China’s trade surplus grew by 36 percent compared to […]
Friedrich Merz is the first chancellor of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) after Angela Merkel, who is regarded as the architect of a pragmatic China policy. What can he learn from her way of interacting with China?Composure, strategic patience and the ability to maintain an open dialog even in difficult moments. Merkel has shown that […]
