Latest news with #EUChinaRelations
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
From blacklist to backchannels: inside the European Parliament's unlikely China reset
No EU institution has clashed more often – or more loudly – with China than the European Parliament. While others tiptoe around thorny issues, its members have for years engaged in running battles with Beijing, taking aim at everything from human rights and trade to Taiwan and foreign meddling, sometimes sending the broader EU-China relationship spiralling. In recent months, however, a remarkable reset has been under way, led by President Roberta Metsola, who has sought to normalise relations with Beijing after four years of estrangement. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the recent history, not everyone is pleased. The extent of the detente is revealed in previously unseen correspondence obtained by the South China Morning Post and conversations with parliament insiders, which helps piece together an improbable thaw that virtually nobody expected six months ago. 'I believe this is an opportune moment to reset relations between the European Parliament and the National People's Congress ,' Metsola wrote to Chinese ambassador to the EU Cai Run, in a letter dated March 12. 'Our discussion marked a significant step toward re-establishing constructive parliamentary relations and revitalising our legislative dialogue,' she said, referring to a meeting held with Cai in the parliament on March 3 – the first of two face-to-face encounters between the pair.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
From blacklist to backchannels: inside the European Parliament's unlikely China reset
No EU institution has clashed more often – or more loudly – with China than the European Parliament. While others tiptoe around thorny issues, its members have for years engaged in running battles with Beijing, taking aim at everything from human rights and trade to Taiwan and foreign meddling, sometimes sending the broader EU-China relationship spiralling. In recent months, however, a remarkable reset has been under way, led by President Roberta Metsola, who has sought to normalise relations with Beijing after four years of estrangement. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the recent history, not everyone is pleased. The extent of the detente is revealed in previously unseen correspondence obtained by the South China Morning Post and conversations with parliament insiders, which helps piece together an improbable thaw that virtually nobody expected six months ago. 'I believe this is an opportune moment to reset relations between the European Parliament and the National People's Congress ,' Metsola wrote to Chinese ambassador to the EU Cai Run, in a letter dated March 12. 'Our discussion marked a significant step toward re-establishing constructive parliamentary relations and revitalising our legislative dialogue,' she said, referring to a meeting held with Cai in the parliament on March 3 – the first of two face-to-face encounters between the pair.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
EU and China must abandon petty disputes to provide global leadership
I've tracked relations between China and the European Union for nearly three decades, reporting and commenting on the highs and lows of a relationship that, despite its volatility, has lasted 50 years. Most of the time, I could make sense of it and understand what made European and Chinese policymakers tick. It was clear that China sought recognition as a major strategic partner of the EU and hoped Europe could act as a counterbalance to the United States. The EU was determined to secure more and better access to Chinese markets, urging faster trade liberalisation and economic reform. Fast forward to mid-2025, and for the first time, I cannot make head or tail of the state of EU–China ties. Brussels and Beijing have become trapped in a confusing, contradictory and often chaotic relationship. Their frequent meetings have been reduced to rituals of mixed messages while tit-for-tat feuds offer endless fodder for think tanks, lawyers, academics and self-anointed geopolitical gurus. Despite the diplomatic gloss of 'strategic partnership,' the relationship has always been transactional. EU officials may bristle at the comparison but as the late Princess Diana famously said about her troubled marriage: 'There were always three of us'. In this case, the third partner is the US.
Wall Street Journal
20-06-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
EU to Restrict China's Participation in Medical Devices Procurement
The European Union said it plans to exclude Chinese companies from the bloc's government purchases of medical devices after concluding that EU manufacturers don't have equal access in China, widening trade tensions between Brussels and Beijing. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said Friday that the measure will apply to purchases exceeding 5 million euros ($5.7 million). The decision follows the conclusions of the first investigation under the International Procurement Instrument, or IPI.
Bloomberg
17-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
EU Refused Meeting With China on Lack of Trade Progress, FT Says
The European Union is refusing to hold an economic meeting with China due to a lack of progress on trade disputes, the Financial Times reports, underscoring tensions between the two sides even as Beijing tries to warm ties. European officials decided to spurn the flagship EU-China High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue, the FT reported citing four people familiar with the matter. The economic meeting would lay the groundwork for a leaders' summit set for July 24-25 in China, the newspaper reported.
