These cheap Chinese cars are made with slave-like labour and other coercive measures, no tariffs can ever change that. When made by slave-labour, there is no such thing as a fair price.

Hungarian parliamentary elections are due in April 2026, so maybe that problem is solved then.

The news is not new, but it’s good that there is resistance. The EU is (and shall) not be like an autocracy where everything follows the single-party rule, but there is obviously an unacceptable conflict of interest.

Canada should do the same with Chinese vehicles - at least, as it’s possibly a better idea to not let them in.

As a European, I find this a ‘non-news’. The EU’s democracy commissioner just said that the EU won’t “lecture” other countries such as Canada, which is a just and fair statement imo as it is on Canada (and other countries) to find its way. I do hope that Ottawa will join the EU and push ahead on regulating tech platforms and artificial intelligence, but the decision is up on Canada, of course.

The combined entity is expected to generate mid-triple-digit million euros in annual synergies on operating income within five years of closing [which is 2027 according to the report], and it’s set to employ 25,000 people across Europe.

Well, in other news we read that Chinese state oil majors have suspended purchases of seaborne Russian oil after the United States imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Moscow’s two biggest oil companies.

Unfortunately, the Economist lost a lot of its quality and research strength in the last two decades or so which is why I stopped reading almost entirely. What is interesting, though, is that tankies slam the Economist frequently as a some sort of Western propaganda media, but have apparently no problem with it if at least the headline aligns with their desired narratives. The hypocrisy is almost hilarious :-)

Yeah, if the multi-polarity comes true, there will likely be several blocks (the EU, Mercosur, others) that will cooperate closely, while trusted partnerships will remain only among trusted countries (such as among democratic countries worldwide). Within these partnerships there could be free trade, between them, however, we’ll likely see some sort of tit-for-tat economy - do trade where it fits and where it has no impact on our core interests regarding economy and security.

Canada’s “strategic partnership” with China will be one of these tit-for-tat partnerships, but the country’s future lies in collaborations with the EU, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and other democracies.

[Edit typo.]

A similar policy is applied when Chinese students are sent abroad. There is strong evidence across countries that Chinese students, before sending to their universities in their destination countries, are forced to a 'loyalty plea".

The central commitment is one of absolute allegiance to the Chinese state, as students, according to several reports like this one,

“shall consciously safeguard the honor of the motherland, (and) obey the guidance and management of embassies (consulates) abroad.” This includes reporting to the Chinese embassy or the nearest Chinese consulate within ten days of their arrival in Germany and maintaining “frequent contact.”

Human Rights Watch reports that [China’s long reach of repression undermines academic freedom at Australia’s universities](Understand the Fear We Have”):

Threats to and limitations on academic freedom at Australian universities stem from China-related pressures and documented cases of harassment, intimidation, and censorship of students and academics from China, and faculty members who criticize the government or express support for democracy movements. These corrosive dynamics set in motion considerable self-censorship.

Students said the fear of fellow students reporting on them to the Chinese consulate or embassy and the potential impact on loved ones in China led to stress, anxiety, and affected their daily activities. Fear that what they did in Australia could result in Chinese authorities punishing or interrogating their parents back home weighed heavily on the minds of every pro-democracy student interviewed. It was a constant concern that had to be evaluated before decisions were made of what to say, what they could attend, and even with whom they were friends. - [Emphasis mine.]

This year, Harvard’s scandal exposed Chinese students’ loyalty also in the U.S., highlighting that Chinese students act as CCP proxies, monitoring or suppressing dissent on U.S. campuses, as seen in incidents like the disruption of a Uyghur panel at Brandeis or harassment of dissidents.

Several countries (such as Sweden and Germany, as far as I remember) have already cancelled the cooperation with the the China Scholarship Council (CSC) over these and other practices.

You’ll find it easy to find more reports across the web.

In another Russian attack on Ukraine last night, children were again among victims as the Kremlin’s troops attacked a kindergarten.

Europe needs to send Taurus (and the U.S. Tomahawks) to Ukraine, and the Kremlin needs a ‘channel’ to Europe, particularly to The Hague.

I am not a historian, but I guess we can all say that colonialism and the negative impacts are historical facts. What I am wondering is how this compares to contemporary colonial policies practiced today by large countries that are invading its neighbours, occupy foreign land, try to bully neighbouring countries to re-draw borders, or suppress minorities? How much has humanity learned form history?

Say something enough times to your audience while not saying something else aligns the readership/viewership with the desired viewpoint.

Yeah, the Chinese government and its propaganda media have exploited that to the extreme, right?

The only point is that people not necessarily believe it, neither in China nor anywhere else. You may suppress people’s opinions and resistance for supposedly a long time, but that does not mean that they believe the propaganda.

Yeah, what about, what about. It gets almost hilarious. If China is criticized, there must be some conspiracy, it can’t be true, right?

The 50 cent warriors are a bit tiresome. Many comments in this thread aim at nothing but whatbouting the topic to death.

Scientists around the globe are sounding alarm over the world’s and each single country’s climate targets. Sadly, the EU, whose actions to reach its goals in the Paris Agreement are insufficient, is among the better areas. Only a few are better, but no one is on track: https://climateactiontracker.org/countries

It’s for smaller, less armed countries to put political pressure on the US to protect them.

The current US Secretary of State is also called a China hawk, and this is just one among many examples in the US and across the world. I can’t comment on Japanese politics, but I think Ms. Takaichi is right in what she says about the Chinese government.

Yeah, there is a lot to be improved in the West to protect democracies. This is about China and the threat its government poses. China and Russia are the biggest threat to the rule of law and human rights.

New home prices went up like crazy in China for years until the government’s hopelessly over-subsidized and over-supported property led to a construction boom in the country that could house 3 billion people, more than twice of China’s population. It has been criticized even by Chinese officials in a rare public critique. Unfortunately the turmoils are far from over, the market is still under severe stress.

[Edit typo.]

I don’t know much about Japan (or China), and I know nothing about Ms. Takaichi, but what qualifies her as a “China hawk” and why is this so important that it’s even featured in the title?

According to the report, she said “Japan is completely looked down on by China”, and that Tokyo must “address the security threat” posed by Beijing. I mean, yes, that’s probably true, and Japan is not the only country with these issues.

Reminds somehow on European far-right (and far-left) parties -backed by Russia and China, btw- that are opposing Europe’s rearmament while demanding ‘peace’ with Russia, but without naming who the aggressor against Ukraine is. It’s the same playbook.