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Friedrich Merz

Friedrich Merz
Friedrich Merz was elected German chancellor in May 2025, becoming the country’s 10th chancellor since World War II.
Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Opinion | China shouldn’t view a tired US as signifying a Europe ready to pivot

As fractures within the US’ network of alliances deepen, China’s strategic window opens a little wider, with some key caveats.

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China-EU relations

Could Spain’s ‘compliment sandwich’ approach to China work for the EU?

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US, Israel war on Iran

Glimmer of hope in Hormuz Strait, fragile ceasefire holds: what happened overnight

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Germany

German chancellor plays down row with Trump in fallout from US troop withdrawal

Friedrich Merz denies his criticism of the Iran war triggered Trump to announce drawdown of 5,000 soldiers.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on March 3. Photo: Reuters
2026 Xi-Trump summit

China trip will go ahead as planned – and it will be amazing, Trump insists

US president says the visit will go ahead as planned later this month despite the ongoing stalemate in peace talks with Iran.

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Germany

Trump-EU rift spurs Germany to boost military, add 75,000 soldiers

The German defence minister said the US withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany was expected, spurring Europe to improve its defences against Russia.

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United States

US to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, fulfilling Trump threat

The move comes after German Chancellor Merz said the US was being ‘humiliated’ by Iran’s leadership.

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US troops take part in a town hall at Ramstein Airbase in Germany in January 2023. Photo: US Air Force
Iran

Iran ‘dying to make a deal’, US war costs soar: here’s what happened overnight

US President Donald Trump says only a few people know the status of talks with Tehran as war enters its third month.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Trump, Putin talk Iran and Ukraine, US energy exports up: what happened overnight

The two conflicts could end on a ‘similar timetable’ US President Donald Trump has said.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Trump may cut US troops in Germany after ‘humiliating’ Iran comment

The German chancellor has drawn the US president’s ire with his remarks about Tehran besting Washington at the negotiating table.

US President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Saturday. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

‘Wartime’ in Iran and Trump’s extended blockade: here’s what happened overnight

As the US president hit out at Germany’s chancellor, Iran said it did not consider the war to be over, while the UAE pulled out of Opec.

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Smoke rises from the site of a US-Israeli strike on Tehran on April 7. An Iranian army spokesman on Tuesday said Iran still regarded it as a wartime situation. Photo: AFP
European Union

Germany’s Merz says no ‘immediate’ Ukraine EU membership

There is little appetite to fast track Kyiv to full membership in the EU – causing some to pitch possible interim benefits in the meantime.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Iran’s exiled crown prince splashed with red substance in Berlin

Reza Pahlavi targeted while leaving a press conference where he said diplomacy with Iran ‘has been given enough chance’.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war: France and UK to lead ‘defensive’ force for Strait of Hormuz

Trump, meanwhile, says he received a Nato offer to help secure the key waterway but told the alliance to ‘STAY AWAY’.

A vessel is seen at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Europe tests ‘third way’ on Hormuz without the US, Israel and Iran. Will it work?

Coalition of more than 30 nations to meet in Paris for a summit to find a ‘credible proposal’ to restore shipping through the strait.

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Some 34 per cent of the global oil trade passed through the Strait of Hormuz last year. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

Exclusive | EU to cut funding for Chinese inverters amid change of tack towards Beijing

Without fanfare, Brussels will stop funding for projects that use the Chinese-made devices as part of a ‘do more, say less’ strategy.

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China-EU relations

China sidelined: EU shelves rare debate as Middle East crisis takes priority

Delay risks entrenching a policy vacuum as member states diverge and Brussels struggles to evolve its approach.

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US, Israel war on Iran

‘Damage control’? Behind France, Germany’s bid to contain Iran war oil fallout

The European powers are leading calls for de-escalation but analyst notes ‘the age of soft power as a substitute for hard capacity is over’.

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Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, last month. Iran has effectively closed the waterway through which about 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply is transported. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

Europe’s crisis tourism: how the Iran war swallowed the EU’s geopolitical agenda

From trade with China to the Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock, Brussels’ agenda has been repeatedly knocked off course.

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China-EU relations

Merz floats EU-China deal, Trump’s new Beijing date, European lawmakers visit

This week: Germany’s Friedrich Merz envisages an eventual China-EU trade deal, new date set for Trump’s China trip and fuel prices surge amid war on Iran. Next week: European parliament sends first delegation to China in eight years, solar export subsidies end, Air China resumes North Korea flights, and more.

China-Germany relations

Germany’s Merz floats EU-China trade deal as European capitals soften on Beijing

Remarks urging ‘strategic partnerships around the world’ underscore how tensions with the US are inducing a more accommodating stance.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on February 25. Photo: dpa
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump calls Nato ‘cowards’ over lack of support in Iran war, sends more troops

Iran is threatening tourist sites worldwide, renewing fears that Tehran could resort to militant attacks beyond the Middle East.

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US President Donald Trump complained Nato countries did not ‌want to join the fight against Iran, yet still complain about high oil prices. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

EU leaders clash with Hungary’s Orban for blocking Ukraine loan

A vital US$103 billion lifeline is being held up by Budapest over a dispute involving a war-damaged oil pipeline.

US, Israel war on Iran

Europe says no to Trump’s Iran demands: ‘not our war’

Some of the closest US allies say they don’t want to enter a conflict on which they were given no say ⁠and where they cannot see the endgame.

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China-EU relations

Exclusive | Chinese military set for EU and Nato talks as Iran war reshapes global security

The PLA delegation will travel to Brussels next week, where the Ukraine war remains a major barrier to better relations with Beijing.

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The PLA’s last talks with Nato and the EU took place two years ago. Photo: AFP
China-EU relations

Tariffs and distrust: EU’s bid to ditch China hits capacity problems

‘Thinly spread’ bloc seeks this week to thrash out memorandum on critical minerals with the US, eyeing a more formal instrument down the road.

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This week’s summit of EU leaders in Brussels is supposed to be about the bloc’s competitiveness, widely understood as a response to China’s state-backed industrial expansion. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

Get realpolitik? Von der Leyen questions Europe’s faith in rules-based order

The EU must become more realistic and interest-driven to keep up with the new world order, bloc chief says.

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China-EU relations

Weaponise EU market against China or face manufacturing collapse: official think tank

Beijing’s ‘weakness creates opportunities’ for bloc to use chokepoints and leverage for negotiations, researchers say.

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