Munich 2026: Washington warns of ‘civilisational erasure’ as Beijing pitches ‘stability’

SCMP chief Europe correspondent Finbarr Bermingham breaks down the 2026 Munich Security Conference, where a widening EU-US rift took centre stage. Despite public ovations for the US secretary of state at Europe’s security gathering on February 13-15, private anxiety is driving Europe to consider “de-risking” from Washington. Meanwhile, Beijing is working the margins, framing China as the world’s more predictable power.