A collection of 74 posts
Czech President Petr Pavel called for a “joint and balanced” strategy between the US, Europe, and other democracies to address China’s growing economic and political power while avoiding divisive lines between them, on Friday 21st April. During a visit to Brussels, Pavel discussed EU-US-China relations with European Council President
Hungarian Sinologist Tamas Matura argued in his recent report for CEPA that China wields little influence in Hungary, despite the Hungarian government’s decade of support for Beijing in the EU. However, shortly after the release of the CEPA report, China’s CATL announced plans to build a EUR 7.
As the EU accelerates its shift to electric vehicles by outlawing internal combustion engines by 2035, the auto industries in Central Europe are transiting to e-mobility. Battery plants can play a key role in the absorption of manpower as conventional car making is phased out, while pulling in new electronic
The world’s largest battery maker, China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), has agreed to build a three trillion forint (EUR 7.6bn) production plant in Debrecen, east Hungary. Hungarian Foreign Ministry state secretary Levente Magyar said the deal represents the largest ever greenfield investment in the history of the
French President Emmanuel Macron told Chinese President Xi that France expects China to reverse the sanctions it has imposed on Lithuania during a telephone call on Tuesday. China has removed Lithuania from its customs system over its recognition of the independence of Taiwan, which the superpower considers illegitimate. Lithuania’s
The EU will extend EUR 130mn to Lithuanian companies affected by the trade restrictions China has imposed on the Baltic country, the European Commission (EC) announced on Tuesday afternoon. The scheme will run until 31 December 2027 or until the “discriminatory” restrictions are lifted, the EC wrote in a statement.
Czechia’s Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky says one of his country’s goals when it heads the EU Council is to clarify the EU’s relationship with China. In an interview with Politico, Lipavsky spoke of Prague’s objectives in its 6-month stint in the rotating presidency, which begins in
A failure to negotiate peace between Ukraine and Russia could lead to World War 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Fareed Zakaria on Sunday morning in their interview on CNN. The President said he was ready to have direct negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. While offering that Ukraine
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine held a fourth round of peace talks on Monday, aiming for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian troops, and security guarantees for Ukraine. Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of office for Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, told the BBC that Moscow’s approach was becoming “more
Russian state media outlets are reporting that Moscow has announced another humanitarian ceasefire to allow civilians to flee. Civilians continued to evacuate Ukrainian cities such as Mariupol, Sumy and Kyiv on Tuesday, but authorities said shelling continued in some areas and it was unsure whether humanitarian aid shipments would reach
French Trade Minister Franck Riester said the EU will resolutely back Lithuania in its escalating trade war with China, on Sunday, Euractiv reported. Riester underlined that the small Baltic nation was “a victim of coercion from Beijing” after meeting his opposites numbers in Marseille. As the current holder of the
Taiwan will extend a USD 1 billion credit line to Lithuania as a gesture of solidarity with the Baltic country, and to help to offset the trade embargo that China has imposed on it. The fund aims to develop Lithuania’s biotech, finance, semiconductor and satellite industries. “We recognise and
Taiwan will set up a USD 200 million investment fund for Lithuania to offset economic pressure from China, it announced Thursday. Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tseng Wen-Sheng said “Taiwan & Lithuania are like-minded partners bound by an unshakeable belief in freedom and democracy. We’ll overcome China‘s threat
Construction of the Mateševo-Smokovac section of Montenegro’s 41-kilometre long Bar-Boljare highway is set to be finished in January 2022. Now, how the country’s largest-ever infrastructure project, built and financed by Chinese interests, will be paid for remains in question. Not only has Montenegro’s largest-ever infrastructure project gone
China is allegedly pressuring Continental AG to stop using components made at the German car parts manufacturer’s subsidiary in Lithuania in retaliation for the Baltic country allowing Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in its capital Vilnius, Reuters reports. Continental AG, one of the world’s largest car