EU-China
Europe raises transparency issues with China’s Belt and Road Initiative
China's massive Belt and Road Initiative is seen as a unique chance to strengthen economic cooperation between Beijing and Europe and a way to spur trade and the economies of the countries involved. But some consider it a strategic and self-interested tool for China to extend its sphere of influence.
China, the Western Balkans and the EU: Can three tango?
With China pouring loans into the Western Balkans, the EU must step in to ensure this money benefits the region, writes Wawa Wang.
The Brief – Weaving the silk road into the 21st century
China’s ‘Belt & Road’ initiative, a network of overland road and rail routes and maritime links meant to transport oil and gas from China to Europe, has been described as a 21st century silk road. But how long can it last?
OLAF suspects VAT fraud at China’s new gateway to Europe
European Union and Italian authorities are investigating suspected wide-scale tax fraud by Chinese criminal gangs importing goods via Greece’s largest port of Piraeus, a trade gateway between China and Europe, officials said.
As EU and China celebrate Year of Tourism, access to Tibet for European travellers remains limited
Could you imagine being denied access to a territory vaster than France, Spain and Portugal combined during your next holiday in Europe? This seems completely unthinkable, yet this is what is happening every year for several weeks in Tibet, write Vincent Metten and Antoine Madelin.
Kurz: Austrian EU Presidency to focus on China
During its July-December EU Presidency, Austria wants to set its own focus on China. To prepare for this, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz paid a visit to the Middle Kingdom. EURACTIV Germany reports from Vienna.
Zeman’s Chinese embrace sparks fears about risky investments
The Czech Republic is the fourth most open country for foreign investments in the world. But it has no control mechanism to prevent risky foreign investment, and economic and political influence from the East is growing rapidly, EURACTIV.cz reports.
Commission satisfied with US trade talks, criticises Chinese IP practices
Trade discussions with the US are progressing well, European Commission vice-president Jyrki Katainen said on Tuesday (10 April). However, he lamented the “deteriorating” business climate in China.
The bigger EU problems hidden by Brexit
Brexit's focus on minutiae is an unnecessary distraction from the more pressing challenges Europe must meet. Unity is crucial to Europe's security and well-being, writes Giles Merritt.
The Brief, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) – Fixing globalisation’s Chinese sin
Global trade is in peril like never before. Over the past weeks, the world has entered a full-fledged trade war involving the largest economies (the US, China and the EU) on more than one front.
EU considering taking China to WTO over IP practices
The European Commission is “closely examining” the option of filing complaints against China before the World Trade Organization for their rules and practices on intellectual property, a spokesperson told EURACTIV on Wednesday (4 April).
Washington, Beijing flexing muscles in trade dispute
The temperature is rising between the United States and China but the simmering confrontation has not yet boiled over into a trade war, since the tit-for-tat countermeasures so far have been confined to a few specific products.
China in Greenland: A call for deeper EU political engagement
Without a deeper political agenda, the EU might rapidly lose ground in Greenland to the benefit of China, write André Gattolin and Damien Degeorges.
Croatia’s Bosnia-bypass bridge progresses as Chinese bid gets green light
An EU-funded bridge project that will connect Croatia's southernmost tip with the rest of the Adriatic nation moved up a gear on Monday (26 March), when a public procurement body signed off on a Chinese company's construction bid.
China hosts Visegrad group, calls them ‘dynamic force’ in EU
China believes the Visegrad group in the European Union - Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic and Poland - is the bloc's most dynamic force, China's top diplomat said, praising a grouping which has had strained ties with Western Europe.
The Belt and Road Initiative: Visegrad Four’s Chinese dilemma
China has used the international economic crisis to elbow its way towards a dominant position on the global market. Its New Silk Road is seen as an attempt to create a massive, multi-national zone of economic and political influence, including in Central Europe. EURACTIV Poland/Czech Republic/Slovakia and Political Capital report.
ASEAN countries unconvinced by EU trade pact
South East Asian countries are dragging their feet on a free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU, with officials saying that the countries still need to be convinced of the benefits of the region-to-region deal.
EU study weighs linking power grid to China’s
The European Union’s scientific research centre has explored the idea of linking the power grids of Europe and China, in order to tap into the immense clean energy potential of the Middle Kingdom and the countries of Central Asia.
Expert: One Belt One Road can have ‘huge importance’ for Central Asia
Kazakhstani political analyst Zhumabek Sarabekov discusses the Skripal poisoning case, the war in Syria, and the geopolitics of Central Asia, including the role of the EU.
As Trump plays with fire, EU should lead on global trade
As America retreats after Trump's plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, the world is moving on. Now is the time for the EU to take the lead in maintaining the global trade system, writes Shada Islam.
China and Europe can work together on the Belt and Road Initiative
The Belt and Road Initiative is brand new and therefore enjoys huge potential. Yet, it will only be brought to full potential when all players come to realise its importance and take part in it, writes Zhang Ming.
Chinese firm Huawei leads European patent applications
For the first time in the history of the European Patent Office, a Chinese company came on top in terms of patent applications in 2017, a year that saw a new record in the number of requests for intellectual property protection in Europe.
China, the unbeloved trade partner
Will Europe pick a quarrel with China? Brussels does not want to quit the field uncontested when it comes to the fact that the People's Republic infiltrates the European economy for self-serving reasons and wants to set the tone also in political terms, writes Wolf Achim Wiegand.