Earlier this month, President Biden organised a much-publicised conference on “democracy”. It was an event he’d promised on the presidential campaign trail. The aims were highly laudable, not least as the meeting with the heads of state of Australia, India and Japan was to ensure that “the way in which technology is designed, developed, governed and…
Commenting on today’s Foreign Affairs Council as well as tomorrow’s General Affairs Council, German MEP Reinhard Bütikofer, Foreign Policy Coordinator of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, has backed a diplomatic boycott of the winter Olympics in China. He said: “The Foreign Affairs Council and the General Affairs Council of the EU must prove…
Fresh concern has been voiced about what has been called the “forced organ harvesting industry” in China. A conference in Brussels, called “China: forced organ harvesting and the CCP”, was told that China conducts “thousands” of such transplants every year and the practice amounts to a “crime against humanity.” Many of those targeted for the…
The European Parliament has called for closer relations with Taiwan guided by the EU’s One China Policy, while issuing warnings over the continued tensions across the Formosa Strait. MEPs hail Taiwan as a key EU partner and democratic ally in the Indo-Pacific, one that contributes to maintaining a rules-based order in the midst of an…
Tibetan and Hongkong students protesting in Athens against the handover of the Olympic Torch to the Beijing 2022 Committee have been arrested. They waved the Tibetan flag and Hongkong’s revolution flag at the iconic historical landmark of the Acropolis, chanting “Boycott Beijing 2022” and “Free Tibet” as Greek authorities promptly confiscated their flag. Displaying the…
Life for Chinese citizens is hard. Not because they face a lack of resources or opportunities but because of the micro invasions of every aspect of their life by the paramount leader President XI Jinping, writes Jianli Yang. As per the recent news affairs, the Chinese president seems to be on a spree to control…
The EU is in danger of being “run over” by Russia and China in the Arctic, the EPP group has warned. “The EU must get much more involved in the Arctic. If we want to mitigate climate change, foster sustainable development and keep the Arctic a peaceful region, we cannot stand idly by anymore”, said…
The S&D group has backed a European Parliament resolution on the EU-China strategy but insisted that the China must first make progress to protect human rights. For the S&Ds the consideration and ratification process for the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) cannot start until the Chinese sanctions against MEPs and EU institutions have been…
After what they call the latest Chinese “threats, intimidation and bullying” against Taiwan MEP Petras Auštrevičius (Renew Europe, Lithuania) and MEP Reinhard Bütikofer (Greens/EFA, Germany) jointly initiated an open letter of solidarity to the President, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. The letter was supported by over 60 Members of the…
EU foreign affairs Josep Borrell has urged China to do more to combat malicious cyber activities originating from the country. The Spaniard said, “Today, the EU and its Member States, together with partners, expose malicious cyber activities that significantly affected our economy, security, democracy and society at large.” He added, “The EU and its Member…
