Trump channeling his inner Mamdani www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/u...

Hearing that German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who abruptly cancelled his first trip to China in late-October, is planning to give it another go in early December. Details below👇🏼 www.linkedin.com/posts/noahba...

A strong new signal from Merz: “We have decided within the government that everywhere it’s possible we’ll replace components, for example in the 5G network, with components we have produced ourselves. And we won’t allow any components from China in the 6G network.” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New statement on Nexperia from the Dutch: they are monitoring chip flows and will send officials to Beijing next week

An interesting few weeks in Europe’s relationship with Taiwan. Because of China’s actions, European capitals are drawing closer to Taipei on.ft.com/49N7Uas

The story hiding in plain view: a generation of America’s political and corporate elite - including the current president - were best buddies with Jeffrey Epstein for one and only one reason. If there is justice, many powerful people will fall www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...

EU readies fresh investigation into Google over news publisher rankings; set to announce new probe into tech giant under Digital Markets Act despite Trump threats on tariffs @bmoens.bsky.social with the news www.ft.com/content/644e...

The idea has been floated. But my sense is that the French are now thinking about other options for bringing China into a discussion on global imbalances. I was told recently that Xi would not attend the summit.

Trump: “Do you think the French are better (than the Chinese), really? I will tell you, I'm not so sure” nationalpost.com/news/world/d...

The system that protected Epstein has still not been held to account. @edwardluce.bsky.social on.ft.com/3XoybEB

France’s Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad urges the EU to reduce its dependence on China during a visit to Berlin www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Dutch coalition formation still stalled by the refusal of Dilan Yesilgoz (not pictured), head of the #3 Liberals, to join a govt with #4 GreenLeft-Labor. The “scout”, Wouter Koolmees, is starting with a “motorblock” of #1 D66 and #5 Christian Dems and will work out from there.

This was poor editorial judgment on the part of the BBC - nothing more. Trump said what he said on Jan 6. And we all know what followed. It is Trump and not the BBC that spouts lies on a daily basis on.ft.com/47yv0jR Donald Trump threatens to sue BBC for $1bn over January 6 speech edit

From my father’s high school yearbook. RIP Lenny Wilkens www.espn.co.uk/nba/story/_/...

Poor editorial judgment to run a story like this in @washingtonpost.com

A day after Taiwan’s Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim spoke in the European Parliament, former President Tsai Ing-wen heads to Germany

Great piece on a rather loathsome young German man who made hundreds of millions from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on.ft.com/3JPu5Co

They’re gettin nervous

Important context here: it was a Dutch court, not the government, that suspended Nexperia's Chinese CEO. The Hague cannot withdraw the court order. So presumably Beijing would have to accept this as part of any detente. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

It hasn't received enough attention: China's rare earth controls pose a serious threat to Europe's military build-up and its ability to defend itself against Russian aggression. The threat to European security stems from Beijing as well as Moscow. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/b...

The corporate and political excesses in the US are reaching looney tunes proportions on.ft.com/3LpFJV3

Merz cites Chinese overcapacities and shifting global trade landscape in backing robust EU trade defense measures to shield the steel sector on.ft.com/3JwhrYV

In my latest Watching China in Europe, I delve into the flawed Trump-Xi deal, Germany's "speak loudly and carry a small stick" approach with China, and the fallout for Europe from the dual crises of rare earths and Nexperia www.gmfus.org/news/watchin...

The US "fact sheet" on the Trump-Xi deal has been updated to remove an alt-fact: New version: "The general license means the de facto removal of controls China imposed since 2023" Old version: "The general license means the de facto removal of controls China imposed in April 2025 and October 2022"

A year after Trump’s election, a political glimmer of hope in the US www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...

I wonder if she is aware that her husband worked for Meta, a company that fuels the political extremism she now claims to want to fight? on.ft.com/3Jvnpcw

Listen to the entire podcast, but if you’re pressed for time, zoom to 23:55 @newyorker.com podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/t...

“The two junior members of the Babiš coalition will be not only pro-Russia but also probably pro-China” on.ft.com/3LhZy0t

American researchers are fleeing to Europe @bmoens.bsky.social on.ft.com/490NR8k

Relations between the Commission, EEAS and Council have improved since Borrell and Michel bade adieu. But neither are they perfectly harmonious. Von der Leyen appears intent on preventing the return of Martin Selmayr to Brussels in a top job at EEAS. www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deut...

The US fact sheet on the Trump-Xi deal says: - China will issue general licenses for rare earths, gallium, germanium, antimony & graphite - China’s controls will be removed for the benefit of US end users - This means the de-facto removal of April 2025 controls www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...

During the US government shutdown, Trump has been busy transforming White House bathrooms into gaudy marble horrors. Who puts a chandelier in a bathroom?

Some light at the end of the Nexperia tunnel. But it’s the result of a deal between Trump and Xi, that further underscores Europe’s impotence. www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse on the EU-China front: Spain’s Pedro Sanchez, according to the FT, has orchestrated a state visit to China by King Felipe VI which will further undermine prospects for a united European front. www.ft.com/content/f37e...

“Export controls have now become a tradable item in the relationship. You’ve discarded decades of precedent.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/u...

Better late than never. But I would be very surprised if this happened www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

During a visit to Bologna this week, I spoke to Emanuele Rossi of Formiche/Decode39 about Europe's derisking dilemma, rare earths and Trump-Xi decode39.com/12229/12229/

If I understand what Trump has just agreed to with Xi correctly (halving of fentanyl tariffs to 10% & suspension of 24% reciprocal tariffs) then effective US tariffs rates on China have dropped below those on India and Brazil www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

China says Trump has agreed to delay by a year the 50% rule placing Nexperia on the US entity list. If confirmed, this will be hugely frustrating for Dutch government, whose Nexperia intervention was triggered in part (but not exclusively) by the initial US move www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Brilliant nugget on this from la Matinale Européene VDL told "commissioners not to mention ACI in connection with Nexperia or rare-earth disputes with China. Negotiation not escalation the current priority—given Europe has no viable alternative to Chinese supplies of chips & magnets"

Exit polls in the Netherlands show a surge in support for the centrist D66 party and sharp decline for the PVV of Geert Wilders. It looks like Dutch voters have turned back the right-wing populist tide

Dutch exit poll: centrist-liberal D66 leading.

G7 to Announce Critical Minerals Alliance to Counter China www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Party-to-party talks between Germany’s Social Democrats and China’s Communist Party are a relic from another era. But SPD Vice Chancellor/Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil is keeping the tradition alive. He risks becoming a pawn in Beijing’s divide and rule game

Mercedes-Benz CEO taking Darwinian survival-of-the-fittest in China analogies to new heights www.reuters.com/world/china/...

I understand the Chinese side has abruptly cancelled a major Sino-German business conference, scheduled for Nov 19-21, that Finance Minister Klingbeil planned to attend. This comes days after the Foreign Minister Wadephul canceled his China trip. My LinkedIn post: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

No Trump Jr drones for Germany… on.ft.com/4qFg4b9

Las Vegas-style cringe coming to Washington edition.cnn.com/2025/10/28/p...

China omits electric vehicles from its list of strategic industries in its five-year development plan for 2026-2030, the first time the sector has been excluded in more than a decade www.reuters.com/business/aut...

From a low base but probably a sign of things to come