European Union

A train leaving Russia and entering China at Manzhouli. (Photo: Jack No1/Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0)

Russia 'looks East': Surging logistics and trade flows across China-Russia border

With China-Russia trade leaping many-fold since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both sides have forged stronger cross-border transport and freight links, says US academic Chen Xiangming. However, this comes with challenges, due to Russia’s historical orientation toward Europe and severely underdeveloped Far Eastern regional and local economies.
People walk past a neighbourhood decorated with Singapore flags in Singapore. (SPH Media)

Chan Heng Chee: Small state in a turbulent world

Chan Heng Chee, ambassador-at-large and professor at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, Singapore University of Technology and Design, delivered a speech at the Reinventing Destiny conference on 14 August, held in commemoration of the 100th birth year anniversary of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding prime minister. She spoke about how strengthening Singapore as a nation and being part of an inclusive regional grouping like ASEAN could help the city state better survive these divisive and conflictual times. Here is the edited transcript of her speech.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gestures as he addresses a summer press conference on domestic policy and diplomacy in Berlin, Germany, on 14 July 2023. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP)

Germany’s new China strategy: A drastic change

Germany’s newly unveiled “Strategy on China” echoed much of EU language in highlighting risks concerning competitiveness, supply chain resilience, national security and values in its recalibrated approach to China. While a de-risking strategy carries difficult trade-offs, there seems to be a broad consensus on the goals Germany wants to achieve.
A supporter holds a picture of Niger General Abdourahamane Tiani, the chief of the powerful presidential guard, as with others rally in support of Niger's junta in Niamey on 30 July 2023. (AFP)

Domino effect in West Africa: Niger coup destabilises China's expanding economic footprint

The recent Niger coup and conflicts from Mali to Burkina Faso, Chad and Sudan have cast uncertainty on the future of Chinese economic diplomacy in the Sahel and other parts of Africa. Academic Alessandro Arduino explains.
Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee Wang Yi (left) attends a Friends of BRICS (a grouping of the world economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) meeting in Johannesburg on 24 July 2023. (Elmond Jiyane/GCIS/AFP)

Will China’s measured stance continue under reappointed Foreign Minister Wang Yi?

Former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who had a meteoric rise and just as swift a fall, was thought to have adopted a more measured tone in China’s foreign policy. Are fears of a return to wolf warrior diplomacy under Wang Yi unfounded? Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Edwin Ong assesses the situation.
Members of the EU Parliament vote during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Starsbourg, France, 13 June 2023. (Yves Herman/Reuters)

One Union, many voices: The EU’s fragmented approach to China

Europe’s disunity may be working to its disfavour, says Italian academic Alessandro Albana. While Brussels and some EU member states emphasise “de-risking”, there are other factors to think about, such as Europe’s long-term economic relations with China and the possibility that China can play a role in bringing an end to the Ukraine war.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with Chinese special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui in Moscow, Russia, 26 May 2023. (Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via Reuters)

Peacemaker role in Russia-Ukraine war could be a historic milestone for China

China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui's trip to Europe and Russia to discuss the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis could be a historic milestone for China, says academic Yuan Hang. The country has far played a marginal role in the shaping of European security affairs in the past century, but this could all change if recent approaches are sustained.
People walk outside Brixton Underground Station, in London, Britain, 6 May 2023. (Emilie Madi/Reuters)

The UK's ambiguity in dealing with China: Ingenuity amid diminishing influence?

While the UK has deftly tried to protect its economic relationship with China while aligning with the US on certain policies, this is a difficult tightrope to balance, especially post-Brexit. Being no longer able to play the role of a political bridge between the US and Brussels, the UK could find its policy of ambiguity leading it closer to isolation.
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures during the North Sea summit in Ostend, Belgium, on 24 April 2023. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP)

EU strategic autonomy: Easier said than done

Academic Ye Shengzhou explains why French President Emmanuel Macron has been aggressively pushing for EU strategic autonomy, more so after his visit to China. But even if France puts its weight behind the concept, the path of achieving strategic autonomy is paved with obstacles.