EU and US vow to team up against China, but can’t hide the cracks – POLITICO

Washington was pushing to “put China in the text every two sentences,” said one European diplomat who was granted the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. “It kept hammering on the Chinese nail.”  To Washington’s satisfaction, the two sides committed to team up with other countries to tackle “China’s non-market policies and practices in the … Read more

Why we must de-risk and embrace regenerative farming

Over the past few years, the EU has been at the forefront of the fight against climate change and pushing for sustainability across all its policies. As president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen set the tone by presenting in her political guidelines for 2019-2024 the main pillar of the EU’s work during … Read more

A look ahead – POLITICO

Twenty years ago. 2004. The year the Olympics returned to their birthplace of Athens. I was also returning home to Italy to commence a new job in the biopharmaceutical sector, then and now a critical European industry.  It was also the year, in Brussels, that two directives — governing medicinal products for human use, and … Read more

Iran-backed Houthi rebels vow to keep attacking British shipping – POLITICO

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group said it will continue to attack British shipping in the Red Sea after sinking the MV Rubymar, which went under over the weekend. “Yemen will continue to sink more British ships, and any repercussions or other damages will be added to Britain’s bill,” Hussein al-Ezzias, deputy foreign minister in the Houthi … Read more

Romania bets on long shot ‘baby nukes’ as coal cliff edge looms – POLITICO

For Burduja, the minister, that means it may be better to work with Washington than against it. “We can aim to be a leader,” he said, but “if technology is developed faster in the U.S. or in the EU, and the EU or the U.S. benefit from it, I think it’s just as good.” But … Read more

China can’t be cut out of global economy, warns foreign minister – POLITICO

Wang said the global economy is like “a big ocean that cannot be cut into isolated lakes,” adding: “The trend toward economic globalization cannot be reversed.” On the sidelines of the Munich conference, Wang met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a meeting that was as “candid, substantive and constructive,” according to a … Read more

France axes tractor fuel hike, cuts red tape to appease angry farmers – POLITICO

Attal also promised to limit administrative hurdles for farmers by halving (from 4 to 2 months) the delay to launch a legal action against authorizations for farm works such as the expansion of a barn. He also pledged to increase existing financial support to farmers and also to speed up the disbursement of cash under … Read more

Why is a unified national market now so vital for Beijing’s policymakers?

“It means I can only open one restaurant in Shenzhen and where can I find seven other people I trust to apply [for permits] on my behalf?” Liang said. She is now considering accepting her losses and pulling out of the venture as the outlook becomes unpalatable. Such yawning discrepancies in approval and market supervision … Read more

Japanese, Korean investors dial back on China, but can Beijing find common ground on trade?

“[Japanese investors] and the Koreans are facing the same challenges of balancing geopolitical challenges with efficiency,” said Jayant Menon, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. China is still a ‘huge market’ for Japan exporters even as trade slackens Japan and South Korea remain important trading partners and investors in China despite … Read more

The uncertain future of the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor – POLITICO

Anchal Vohra is an international affairs commentator and was based in Beirut until recently. The India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) was launched on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi amid much fanfare. A key pillar of United States President Joe Biden’s Indo-Pacific and Middle East strategies, the American leader hailed the project as … Read more