Tag: Europe

At 12, China-central and eastern Europe group faces growing pains

Media Library

Vienna, Austria —  Next week, China will mark the 12th anniversary of a group for central and eastern European countries it established to grow its influence in the EU. But when it does, there will be no high-level activities or celebrations to mark the group’s creation. Since 2019, the frequency of meetings between China and central and eastern European leaders has decreased, and one after another, members have withdrawn. Matej Simalcik, executive director at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies, told VOA Mandarin that when the China-Central and Eastern…

German chancellor urges Xi Jinping to press Russia to end Ukraine war, saying ‘China’s word carries weight’

Media Library

Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, says he has urged Xi Jinping to press Russia to end its “senseless” war in Ukraine and that the Chinese president has agreed to back a peace conference in Switzerland. Scholz said after a meeting with Xi in Beijing on Tuesday that “China’s word carries weight in Russia”. “I have therefore asked President Xi to influence Russia so that Putin finally calls off his senseless campaign, withdraw his troops and ends this terrible war,” he said on social media platform X. Scholz said Xi had agreed…

German chancellor urges China to use ‘influence’ to end Ukraine war

Media Library

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged China’s leader Xi Jinping to use his country’s influence to press Russia to end its war in Ukraine. Following meetings with Xi on Tuesday in Beijing, Scholz said on the social media platform X that “China’s word carries weight in Russia,” and that “I have therefore asked President Xi to influence Russia so that Putin finally … ends this terrible war.” He added that Xi agreed to support a peace conference in Switzerland. The statements come at the tail end of Scholz’s three-day visit…

Undersea ‘hybrid warfare’ threatens security of 1bn, Nato commander warns

Media Library

The security of nearly 1 billion people across Europe and North America is under threat from Russian attempts to target the extensive vulnerabilities of underwater infrastructure including windfarms, pipelines and power cables, a Nato commander has warned. V Adm Didier Maleterre, the deputy commander of Nato’s Allied Maritime Command (Marcom), said the network of underwater cables and pipes on which Europe’s power and communications depend were not built to withstand the “hybrid warfare” being pursued by Moscow and other Nato adversaries. “We know the Russians have developed a lot of…

German chancellor promotes fair competition, warns against overproduction during China visit

Media Library

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is calling for fair competition in trade with China while urging the European Union to not adopt protectionist policies against Beijing. The bloc has been considering tariffs amid concerns about Chinese goods being dumped on European markets and overproduction. Scholz is in China on a three-day visit. He is expected to meet with President Xi Jinping Tuesday in Beijing before ending his trip, which is his second to China since taking office in 2021. According to the Reuters news agency, Beijing is expected to urge Berlin…

German chancellor urges Chinese industry bosses to play fair in EU market

Media Library

The chancellor of Germany has urged industry bosses in China to play fair by not overproducing cheap goods or infringing copyright rules. Speaking on a three-day visit to China, where he is travelling with leading business representatives and three government ministers, Olaf Scholz said he, in turn, would encourage the European Union not to be driven by self-interested protectionism, in which governments restrict international trade to help domestic companies. Scholz was seen to be treading a careful path, driven by European concerns that Chinese goods are being dumped on the…

Germany’s Scholz arrives in China on a visit marked by trade tensions, Ukraine conflict

Media Library

BEIJING —  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in China on Sunday on a visit focused on the increasingly tense economic relationship between the sides and differences over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Scholz’s first destination was the industrial hub of Chongqing, where he and his delegation of ministers and business leaders were to visit a partially German-funded company and other sites in the vast city, which is a production base for China’s auto and other industries. Scholz is also scheduled to visit the financial hub of Shanghai during his three-day visit,…

US: China strengthens Russian war machine with surging equipment sales

Media Library

WASHINGTON —  China has surged sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow in turn is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry for use in its war against Ukraine, according to a U.S. assessment. Two senior Biden administration officials, who discussed the sensitive findings Friday on the condition of anonymity, said that in 2023 about 90% of Russia’s microelectronics came from China. Russia has used those to make missiles, tanks and aircraft. Nearly 70% of Russia’s approximately $900 million in machine tool imports…

German chancellor heads to Beijing amid efforts to balance trade, geopolitical concerns

Media Library

TAIPEI, TAIWAN —  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will kick off a three-day visit to China Saturday, aiming to double down on Germany’s deep economic ties with China amid rising trade tension between Beijing and the European Union. Making his first trip to China since his government released its first China strategy in July, stressing the need to lower economic dependence on China, Scholz will be accompanied by executives from major German companies, such as Siemens, Volkswagen, and Bayer, and three Cabinet ministers. Some analysts say bilateral economic relations will be…

Mass use of guided bombs driving Russian advances, says Ukraine

Media Library

The mass use of “drop-and-forget” guided bombs containing foreign components is driving Russian advances in Ukraine, with up to 500 now being fired a week, according to a Ukrainian government analysis. High explosive and cluster bombs fitted with “UMPC” guiding systems with a range of 40-60km (25-37 miles) are now said to be a central threat on the frontline, forcing back Ukrainian forces. According to a Ukrainian government report obtained by the Guardian, such weapons fired from afar by aircraft “played a key role in the destruction of [the eastern…