On June 30, the Dutch government announced new restrictions on the export of semiconductor equipment. It is widely understood that these restrictions are aimed primarily at the relationship between ASML and its customers in China, even though the government claims its policy to be 'country-neutral'. According to Minister for Foreign Trade and...
"How China continues to interact with Putin's war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward." This statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her March 30 speech shows that, for the European Commission and presumably for the EU in general, dealing with Russia and the war in Ukraine is a bigger...
Hoe moet Nederland zich opstellen ten opzichte van de militaire dreiging die China voor Taiwan vormt? De Chinese regering gebruikt haar militaire macht op drie verschillende manieren in relatie tot Taiwan. Om te beginnen dreigt China met militair ingrijpen als Taiwan zich afscheidt van het Chinese vasteland. De dreiging van ingrijpen wordt...
De strijd om het leiderschap van de vierde industriële revolutie neemt een volgende wending. Onlangs kondigde president Biden nieuwe regels aan waarmee Amerika de export van microchips - en apparatuur om deze te maken - naar China verder beperkt.
The EU-China summit on April 1 did not halt the ongoing deterioration of relations between the two actors. At the summit, the EU leaders talked primarily about the war in Ukraine, while their Chinese counterparts tried to avoid that topic. Afterwards, EU High Representative Josep Borrell expressed disappointment that Beijing refuses to name Russia...
On 27 March 2019, Prime Minister Bettel of Luxembourg was in Beijing to witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on BRI cooperation. This took place only four days after Italy signed a similar document. The Italian move attracted widespread attention, was called a 'landmark accord' by Bloomberg, and was openly criticised by the United...
After Greece and Portugal, Italy could be the next Southern European country to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China on the Belt and Road Initiative. President Xi Jinping will visit Italy on March 22-24, and according to Reuters the two countries are negotiating the terms of a possible MoU. Although less sensitive than cooperation on...
In May 2018, just after being elected, Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad stated that 'China has a long experience in dealing with unequal treaties and China resolved it by renegotiation. So, we feel we are entitled to study, and if necessary, renegotiate the terms'. He was referring to the terms of a Chinese loan for East Coast Rail Link...
A survey by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore indicates that Southeast Asian countries have little faith in the United States as a provider of regional security. The respondents see American global influence as deteriorating and China as the only viable alternative to US leadership in the region. Many of those who participated in the...
On November 20, 2018, the European Parliament, Council and Commission reached an agreement on an EU framework for screening foreign direct investment. The new framework is expected to become active in early 2019 and will include a mechanism that allows the European Commission and EU member states 'to exchange information and raise specific...