Tag: Europe

China Skirts Sanctions to Make Russia Its Top Oil Supplier in 2023

Media Library

BEIJING —  Russia leapfrogged Saudi Arabia to become China’s top crude oil supplier in 2023, data showed on Saturday, as the world’s biggest crude importer defied Western sanctions to purchase vast quantities of discounted oil for its processing plants. Russia shipped a record 107.02 million metric tons of crude oil to China last year, equivalent to 2.14 million barrels per day (bpd), the Chinese customs data showed, far more than other major oil exporters such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Imports from Saudi Arabia, previously China’s largest supplier, fell 1.8%…

China Bids to Woo Back Global Elites at Davos Forum

Media Library

China will put on a show of force Tuesday with a large delegation represented by Prime Minister Li Qiang at the annual meeting of global elites in Davos, despite shadows cast by wars raging in Ukraine and Gaza. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also attending the World Economic Forum in person for the first time since Russia’s invasion in 2022, hoping to drum up more aid as the conflict approaches its second anniversary. Kyiv has been scrambling to ensure financial support does not waver for Ukraine during the biggest war…

Switzerland to Host Peace Summit on Ukraine

Media Library

Switzerland announced Monday it will host a global peace summit on Ukraine at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Planning for the event will start Tuesday. At a press conference in Bern alongside Swiss President Viola Amherd, Zelenskyy urged China, a Russian ally and global power player, to participate and help resolve the conflict with Russia. “We would very much like China to be involved in our [peace] formula, as well as in the summit,” he said. “But not everything depends on our wishes.” Zelenskyy did not provide an…

China-Swiss Talks Touch on Visa-Free Travel, Free Trade

Media Library

Geneva, Switzerland —  China and Switzerland agreed Monday to speed up talks to upgrade their free trade agreement and to simplify visa procedures for travel between the two countries, Chinese state media reported. Bern and Beijing agreed to an early launch of formal negotiations to expand a free trade agreement in place since 2013, state news agency Xinhua reported. China also agreed to provide visa-free entry for Swiss citizens, it said. The agreements were reached during the first high-level meeting between the two countries since the COVID-19 pandemic. Heading the…

Flush With Investment, New U.S. Factories Face a Familiar Challenge

Media Library

The Biden administration has begun pumping more than $2 trillion into U.S. factories and infrastructure, investing huge sums to try to strengthen American industry and fight climate change. But the effort is facing a familiar threat: a surge of low-priced products from China. That is drawing the attention of President Biden and his aides, who are considering new protectionist measures to make sure American industry can compete against Beijing. As U.S. factories spin up to produce electric vehicles, semiconductors and solar panels, China is flooding the market with similar goods,…

Russian Market, EVs Give China Fuel to Pass Japan as Top Car Exporter

Media Library

washington —  China’s car industry groups have said the country is set to surpass Japan to become the world’s top car exporter for 2023, driven by the Russian market and a growing global appetite for electric vehicles (EVs). The official China Daily newspaper reported the Association of Automobile Manufacturers on Thursday said China’s vehicle production for the first time reached 30 million units last year, 4.91 million of them exported. The exports are a 58% increase from 2022’s 3.11 million vehicles exported, appearing to overtake Japan as the world’s top…

China’s Xi Says Wants Closer EU Ties in Meeting with Belgium PM

Media Library

Shanghai —  China is willing to strengthen relations with Europe, President Xi Jinping said on Friday, at a meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in Beijing. De Croo arrived in China on Thursday, attending the inauguration of the new Belgian embassy in Beijing and meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the same day. “China is willing to work with the European Union to promote steady progress in China-EU relations in the new year,” Xi told De Croo when the two men met on Friday at the…

Human rights in decline globally as leaders fail to uphold laws, report warns

Media Library

Human rights across the world are in a parlous state as leaders shun their obligations to uphold international law, according to the annual report of Human Rights Watch (HRW). In its 2024 world report, HRW warns grimly of escalating human rights crises around the globe, with wartime atrocities increasing, suppression of human rights defenders on the rise, and universal human rights principles and laws being attacked and undermined by governments. The report highlights political leaders’ increasing disregard for international human rights laws. The report says “selective government outrage and transactional…

China, Finland Held ‘Constructive’ Talks on Damaged Gas Pipeline

Media Library

Helsinki, Finland —  Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and China’s Xi Jinping on Wednesday said their countries held “constructive dialogue” over a Baltic Sea gas pipeline that Finnish authorities believe was damaged by a Chinese vessel, Helsinki said. Finnish police in late October recovered an anchor believed to have damaged the Balticconnector pipeline between Finland and Estonia on October 8. They said findings suggested it belonged to the Chinese cargo ship Newnew Polar Bear. “The presidents noted the constructive dialogue between the countries regarding the Balticconnector pipeline incident,” a statement from…

China’s Arrest of ‘MI6 Spy’ Could be Retaliation, Analysts Say

Media Library

London —  China’s arrest of a man allegedly working as a spy for Britain could be retaliation, analysts say. The case, which was announced on Monday by China’s Ministry of State Security, comes amid growing and vocal concern in Britain over Beijing and the security threat the communist country poses. It also follows last year’s arrest of a British parliamentary researcher on suspicion of spying for China. According to a post Monday on the ministry’s official WeChat social media account, Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency recruited a man surnamed Huang in…