France
Economy
From caviar to foie gras: China’s next export shock
From caviar to foie gras, Chinese producers are entering markets long tied to European prestige. As these brands expand overseas, Lianhe Zaobao China news editor Yang Danxu explores what their success reveals about China’s growing influence in global markets.
Yang Danxu
30 Jun 2026
Politics
G7 unity: Europe yields as Trump declares ‘I’m the boss’
At the G7 summit, European leaders went to great lengths to flatter Donald Trump. Yet behind the smiles lies deep anxiety over an unpredictable US and a looming trade war with China. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong tells us more.
Han Yong Hong
19 Jun 2026
Culture
France’s new law: Can China get back its looted treasures?
France’s landmark 2026 legal reform has breathed new life into global art repatriation. For China, whose looted Old Summer Palace treasures remain in French collections, the implications could be significant. Lawyer Ryan Su examines the challenges in a field where emotions and patriotism run high.
Ryan Su
09 Jun 2026
Politics
China’s diplomatic blitz in Trump’s backyard — who will dominate the western hemisphere?
The high frequency of foreign dignitaries from Asia, Europe and South America visiting China at the start of 2026 indicates a strong focus and urgency behind Beijing’s effort to draw US allies closer and counter America’s efforts to restore preeminence in the western hemisphere, observes ISEAS researcher Lye Liang Fook.
Lye Liang Fook
27 Feb 2026
Politics
Greater China-Russia strategic alignment links two ‘battlefields’ of Eurasia
Although the Russia-Ukraine war and Taiwan Strait situations are different, strategic alignment between China and Russia on issues involving Japan and the “one China” principle during critical moments means there is room for linkages and even mutual restraint between the two “battlefields” in Eurasia, observes Lianhe Zaobao’s associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei.
Sim Tze Wei
04 Dec 2025
Politics
Why Japan and France are trapped in a dangerous leadership deadlock
Japan and France face political deadlock as divided parties and weak governments create a leadership void, threatening democracy and risking a rise in extremism amid global uncertainty. Commentator Chen Kuohsiang looks into the consequences.
Chen Kuohsiang
25 Sep 2025
Politics
Does Europe have strategic autonomy?
Even as the European Union (EU) seems to operate as a whole when it comes to international organisations such as the G7 and G20, there are contradictions within the grouping, as well as between the EU and external countries. Chinese academic Guo Bingyun looks at whether Europe’s seeming strategic autonomy has real substance to it.
Guo Bingyun
10 Dec 2024
Politics
What do Xi and Macron want from each other?
To reciprocate Chinese President Xi Jinping’s warm welcome of French President Emmanuel Macron to Beijing last year, Macron pulled out all the stops to accord Xi the royal treatment during the latter’s visit to France this week. However, notes Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu, playing up the “personal” card may not be enough when it comes to state-to-state interactions.
Yang Danxu
08 May 2024
Politics
Populism and anti-immigration fervour surges in the West
Taiwanese commentator Chen Kuohsiang notes that populist fervour and anti-immigration sentiments in the US and Europe embolden each other and form a vicious circle, dominating major political issues. This has led to the potential political comeback of former US President Donald Trump and the rise of opposition parties in Europe.
Chen Kuohsiang
15 Feb 2024
Politics
India, France and Japan join hands to counter China's influence in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's recent high-level diplomatic engagements with India, France and Japan highlighted the island nation's importance in the ongoing great power rivalry in the Indo-Pacific region. After obtaining an IMF bailout with the assistance of these nations and dealing with the fallout of the pro-China Rajapaksa family, is the new Sri Lankan administration adopting a more Western and India-oriented vision?
Rishi Gupta
10 Aug 2023