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European Union
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European Union

European Union
European Union
The latest breaking news and stories on the European Union (EU), an economic and political union of 27 member states mainly located in Europe, which accounts for around a sixth of global economic output. Also covering the EU’s relationship with the UK (post Brexit), China and the US, plus commentary and updates on EU legislation, the euro and trade.
People walk past a bull statue in Shanghai, China. Photo: EPA
Hong Kong stock market

Can mainland Chinese, Hong Kong stocks rebound after a bruising third quarter?

Weak stimulus, Fed tightening and shifting AI sentiment may keep mainland and Hong Kong equities under pressure, analysts say.

Canada

There’s been buzz around Carney for a prize long coveted by Trump

China-EU relations

Beijing criticises push for European Section 301-style tool to counter China

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United States

Opinion | America’s foreign policy of coercion must end

Trump’s routine use of threats and ultimatums in place of diplomacy may yield immediate gains, but it inflicts lasting damage to America’s global standing.

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US President Donald Trump speaking on the South Lawn, at the White House in Washington, on August 19. Photo: Reuters
Britain

Burnham vows big shake-up for UK in high-risk political speech

Prime minister promises national care service, electoral reform and EU reset while warning of pension funding trade-offs.

India

India-Europe trade corridor gets Trump’s backing, but can it survive war?

Pitched as a rival to China’s Belt and Road, IMEC must bypass vulnerable Gulf chokepoints if it is ever to become operational, analysts say.

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China-EU relations

Beijing, Berlin hold video call amid reported plan to shut China out of EU

Days before crucial talks with Brussels, China’s Commerce Minister video calls his German counterpart to discuss trade relations.

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China’s Commerce Minister, Wang Wentao, reached out to his German counterpart amid reports of a plan to shut China out of the European market. Photo: DPA
France

French far-right leader Bardella hits back at antisemitism allegations

National Rally leader threatens legal action over report on alleged 2013 private chat logs as Marine Le Pen decries ‘dirty tricks’.

Britain

Child, 2 women ‘crushed to death’ as 105 people on 1 boat try to reach UK

Asylum seekers pay smugglers thousands of dollars to board unstable and overcrowded dinghies to journey to Britain from France.

Sweden

Sweden’s Magdalena Andersson ends government-formation talks with no result

It means caretaker PM Ulf Kristersson may get another chance to form a coalition. He has promised to bring in the far-right.

Sweden’s Social Democratic leader and election winner Magdalena Andersson during a Monday press conference in which she said she has ended her attempt to form a new government. Photo: via AFP
France

Far-right makes major gains in French Senate as Le Pen eyes power

National Rally and allies form first-ever upper chamber group months before Emmanuel Macron steps down.

National Rally’s Marine Le Pen in Paris on Sunday. Photo: AGF via Zuma Press / dpa
Britain

Britain’s Labour Party launches annual conference buoyed by Burnham

New British leader faces pressure to deliver concrete plans as party enters Liverpool gathering ahead in opinion polls.

Switzerland

Swiss reject push to toughen neutrality amid debate over Russia

Initiative dubbed ‘pro-Russian’ by critics fails as voters back government’s flexible diplomatic approach.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Why Xi’s US trip leaves Europe relieved by trade truce – but wary of the future

The summit in Washington eases near-term uncertainty over rare earths, but analysts fear the bloc could have less say over decisions shaping its economic interests.

President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan as they leave the National Archives in Washington on Friday, alongside US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

After EU-Philippines trade breakthrough, is Asean-wide deal next?

A bloc-to-bloc free-trade agreement offers Asean real economic clout, but analysts warn there is still a ‘long way to go’.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr gestures to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a visit to Manila in 2023. She is expected to return next year to sign a trade pact. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

Exclusive | China-based Brics bank set for hunger alliance lead role this year, Brazil says

Brazilian minister Wellington Dias tells SCMP a fund to cut borrowing costs for the poor may launch by December as US marginalises the G20.

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Ukraine war

EU to release US$7.5 billion linked to Ukraine military aid

Money related to Ukraine had stuck in the fund for ⁠months, blocked by the previous Hungarian government under Viktor Orban.

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Italy

Italy to ban burkas in schools, with 30% cap on pupils with poor Italian

The move comes ahead of Italy’s election next year, in which PM Meloni’s party faces pressure the even further right National Future party.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni delivers closing remarks at a rally celebrating her government’s record as the longest-serving administration in Italy’s republican history, in Bari, Italy on September 4. Her Cabinet has now adopted the measures by decree. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

China and EU deadlocked on medical devices, still talking on PHEV curbs: source

Sources on the Chinese side recently described the talks as difficult and expressed frustration over the EU’s inflexibility.

China trade

Chinese carmakers gain as high petrol prices boost European EV sales

Chinese brands’ share of plug-in hybrid registrations across Europe climbed from about 20 per cent in January to 35.3 per cent in August.

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China trade

Opinion | China’s industrial strengths must also benefit its trading partners

By shifting towards domestic consumption and exporting industrial know-how, Beijing can give global partners a genuine stake in its growth.

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The workshop of a wind power equipment maker at the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park in Qinzhou city, Guangxi autonomous region, on September 4. China’s partners must distinguish between genuine imbalances and the productive advantages that offer opportunities for cooperation. Photo: Xinhua
Ukraine war

Croatia clears extradition of Nord Stream blast suspect to Germany

German prosecutors have accused Ukrainian scuba diver of planting explosives on Baltic pipelines in 2022.

A gas leak at Nord Stream 2 in the Baltic Sea near the Danish island of Bornholm in 2022. Photo: Danish Defence Command via Reuters
Spain

Spain’s housing crisis in spotlight with eviction of pensioner, 87

Thousands have protested in outrage at the eviction and a market widely denounced as unaffordable for renters and buyers.

US-China trade war

China is investing record amounts overseas. Why are US-bound flows plunging?

Chinese investment in the US has fallen to its lowest level since 2011 amid tighter scrutiny and trade tensions.

India

India backs new P4M forum, but can middle powers fix the UN?

Without early wins on climate or UN reform, analysts say the Partners for Multilateralism risks becoming a talking shop.

India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar speaking at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, in September 2025. Photo: EPA
Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong rejects EU report’s claims on freedoms as ‘unfounded and biased’

Hong Kong government says the report misrepresents national security laws, ignores protections for rights and applies double standards.

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Hong Kong has rejected an EU report that raised concerns over the city’s fundamental freedoms and rule of law. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong on way to securing green fuel supply to safeguard aviation hub status

Policy chief notes city to consider sustainable aviation fuel mandate, saying clear targets are needed to draw investment and build supply.

China-Germany relations

China seeks German help to stave off EU trade sanctions before Xi-Trump summit

Phone call between Wang Yi and Johann Wadephul underlines Beijing’s push to protect European partnerships alongside US relations.

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