logo
EU companies are 'hostage' to US-China brawl, chamber chief says

EU companies are 'hostage' to US-China brawl, chamber chief says

Nikkei Asia18-06-2025
BEIJING -- Companies in the European Union are being held "hostage" in China's trade war with the U.S., the head of the bloc's business chamber in Beijing said -- even after the dueling superpowers hammered out a tentative truce.
The comments to Nikkei Asia by Jens Eskelund, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, underscore challenges in improving Sino-European trade relations ahead of a high-profile summit planned for late next month.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump Arrives in Scotland for Golf and Bilateral Talks as EU Trade Deal Nears
Trump Arrives in Scotland for Golf and Bilateral Talks as EU Trade Deal Nears

Yomiuri Shimbun

time14 hours ago

  • Yomiuri Shimbun

Trump Arrives in Scotland for Golf and Bilateral Talks as EU Trade Deal Nears

EDINBURGH/LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump, dogged by questions about his ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, arrived in Scotland on Friday for some golf and bilateral talks that could yield a trade deal with the European Union. Trump told reporters upon his arrival that he will visit his two golf properties in Scotland and meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whom he called a 'highly respected woman.' As hundreds of onlookers cheered his arrival, Trump repeated his earlier comment about a 50-50 chance of securing a deal with the EU, adding it would be his administration's biggest trade agreement thus far, if it came together. However, he said there were still 'sticking points' with Brussels on 'maybe 20 different things.' Trump said his meeting with Starmer would be more of a celebration of the trade deal already reached than continued work on it, adding, 'It's a great deal for both.' Before he left Washington, Trump said his administration was working hard on a possible trade deal with the EU, and Brussels was keen to make a deal. Von der Leyen said later she would meet Trump in Scotland on Sunday. EU diplomats say a deal could result in a 15% tariff on EU goods, mirroring a framework accord with Japan reached this week and half of the 30% Trump is threatening to impose by August 1. Trump has sought to reorder the global economy after imposing a 10% tariff on nearly all trading partners in April and threatening sharply higher rates for many countries to kick in a week from now. Trump says the moves will reduce the U.S. trade deficit and bring in extra revenue, but economists warn the new trade policies could drive up inflation. 'DON'T TALK ABOUT TRUMP' Trump, facing the biggest domestic political crisis of his second term, expressed frustration about ongoing questions about his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and his 2019 death in prison. 'You make it a very big thing over something that's not a big thing,' Trump told reporters in Scotland, urging them to focus on other prominent Americans with ties to Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton. 'Talk about Clinton. Talk about the former president of Harvard. Talk about all of his friends. Talk about the hedge fund guys that were with him all the time. Don't talk about Trump,' he said. 'What you should be talking about is the fact that we have the greatest six months in the history of a presidency.' The Epstein issue has caused a rare breach with some of Trump's most loyal Make America Great Again supporters, and majorities of Americans and Trump's Republicans say they believe the government is hiding details on the case, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. White House officials are hoping the controversy dies down while Trump is abroad, two people familiar with the matter said. DEEPEN TIES Trump will stay at his Turnberry property on Scotland's west coast this weekend, before traveling on Monday to a golf property in Aberdeen, where he will open a second 18-hole course named in honor of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod. MacLeod was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to the U.S. As he left the White House, Trump said he looked forward to meeting both Starmer and Scottish leader John Swinney, who had publicly backed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The trip gives Trump and Starmer a chance to deepen their already warm ties, with key issues on the agenda to include ending Russia's war in Ukraine, British and U.S. sources said. The deteriorating situation in Gaza is also likely to come up. Starmer on Thursday said he would hold an emergency call with France and Germany over what he called the 'unspeakable and indefensible' suffering and starvation being reported there, and called on Israel to allow aid to enter the Palestinian enclave. Gaza health authorities say more than 100 people have died from starvation, most in recent weeks. Human rights groups have said mass starvation is spreading even as tons of food and other supplies sit untouched just outside the territory. Since being elected last year, Starmer has prioritized good relations with Trump, stressing the importance of Britain's defense and security alliance with the U.S., while working to clinch the first tariff-reduction deal with the U.S. in May. The framework agreement reaffirmed quotas and tariff rates on British automobiles and eliminated tariffs on the UK's aerospace sector, but left steel tariffs in place. Starmer is expected to press for lower steel tariffs, but sources close to the matter said it was unclear if any breakthrough was possible during Trump's visit. Trump has described Scotland as a 'very special place' and made a similar trip there in 2016 during his earlier run for the presidency, but he will not necessarily get a warm welcome. About 70% of Scots have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, while 18% have a favorable opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found. Scottish police are girding for protests on Saturday in both Aberdeen and in Edinburgh, the country's capital. Trump will return to Britain from September 17-19 for a state visit hosted by King Charles. It will make Trump the first world leader in modern times to undertake two state visits to Britain. The late Queen Elizabeth hosted him at Buckingham Palace for a three-day state visit in June 2019.

UK, French and German Leaders Press Israel over Gaza Aid after Macron Backs a Palestinian State
UK, French and German Leaders Press Israel over Gaza Aid after Macron Backs a Palestinian State

Yomiuri Shimbun

time14 hours ago

  • Yomiuri Shimbun

UK, French and German Leaders Press Israel over Gaza Aid after Macron Backs a Palestinian State

LONDON (AP) — The leaders of Britain, France and Germany demanded Israel allow unrestricted aid into Gaza to end a 'humanitarian catastrophe,' after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country will become the first major Western power to recognize a Palestinian state. The joint statement, issued after a calll between Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, called for an an immediate ceasefire and said that 'withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable,' though it broke no new diplomatic ground. The leaders said they 'stand ready to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political process that leads to lasting security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region,' but did not say what that action might be. France's move exposes European divisions Macron's surprise announcement exposed differences among the European allies, known as the E3, over how to ease the worsening humanitarian crisis and end the Israel-Hamas war. All three support a Palestinian state in principle, but Germany said it has no immediate plans to follow France's step, which Macron plans to formalize at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Britain has not followed suit either, but Starmer is under mounting pressure to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, both from opposition lawmakers and from members of his own Labour Party government. Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Tuesday called for an announcement 'while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognize.' On Friday, 221 of the 650 lawmakers in the House of Commons signed a letter urging Starmer to recognize a Palestinian state. 'Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. Such a recognition would give that position substance,' said the letter, signed by legislators from several government and opposition parties. After the E3 call on Friday, Starmer condemned 'the continued captivity of hostages, the starvation and denial of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, the increasing violence from extremist settler groups, and Israel's disproportionate military escalation in Gaza.' He said that 'recognition of a Palestinian state' must be one of the steps on a pathway to peace. 'I am unequivocal about that. But it must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis,' he said. More than 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state, including a dozen in Europe. But France is the first Group of Seven country and the largest European nation to take that step. Israel and the United States both denounced France's decision. Britain has long supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, but has said recognition should come as part of a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict. Any such solution appears far off. There had been no substantive Israel-Palestinian negotiations for years even before the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and sparked the current war. Humanitarian crisis alarms Israel's allies The worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where hunger is spreading and children have starved to death, has caused alarm even among Israel's closest allies. Germany has traditionally been a particularly staunch ally of Israel in Europe, with relations rooted in the history of the Holocaust. It says recognizing a Palestinian state should be 'one of the concluding steps' in negotiating a two-state solution and it 'does not plan to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.' But Berlin, too, has sharpened its tone recently, describing the Israeli military's actions in Gaza as unacceptable and pushing for greater humanitarian aid, but still appears to favor trying to influence Israeli officials by direct contact. The German government said in a statement on Friday that it is in a 'constant exchange' with the Israeli government and other partners on issues that include a ceasefire in Gaza and the need to drastically improve humanitarian aid. It said it is 'prepared to increase the pressure' if there is no progress, but didn't elaborate on how. Britain has halted some arms sales to Israel, suspended free trade talks and sanctioned far-right government ministers and extremist settlers, but Starmer is under intense pressure to do more. Also weighing on Starmer is his desire to maintain good relations with the U.S. administration, which has strongly criticized France's decision. The British leader is due to meet President Donald Trump in the next few days while the president is in Scotland visiting two golf courses he owns there. Yossi Mekelberg, a Middle East expert at the international affairs think-tank Chatham House, said Macron's decision to defer finalizing recognition until September 'creates some space' for other countries to get on board. 'We know that the U.K. is close, but not there,' he said. 'This might encourage Starmer, who we know is not one to rush such a decision. … This might create some momentum, some dynamic, for the U.K.'

Taiwan crisis would 'immediately affect' Europe: Czech president
Taiwan crisis would 'immediately affect' Europe: Czech president

Nikkei Asia

time19 hours ago

  • Nikkei Asia

Taiwan crisis would 'immediately affect' Europe: Czech president

Czech Republic President Petr Pavel sits for an interview in Tokyo on July 25. (Photo by Shintaro Ino) SHIGERU SENO TOKYO -- A crisis involving Taiwan would have a ripple effect reaching all the way to Europe, Petr Pavel, president of the Czech Republic, told Nikkei in an exclusive interview. "War in the region would severely harm all the flow of goods globally," Pavel said Friday during his stay in Tokyo. "From a European point of view, any conflict in this region would immediately affect the economic situation in Europe."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store