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Noah Barkin, an analyst with the Rhodium Group, said China's chief objective was to prevent Europe from aligning more closely with the United States. Macron travelled to China with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, both pressuring China on Ukraine, but failing to wrest any public shifts in position from Xi. Xi did not mention a possible conversation with Zelenskiy in China's official reports of his comments after the meetings. "Macron seemed to believe he could charm Xi into shifting his approach on the war," he said. "China and Europe can still be partners," said Wang Yiwei, director of Center for European Studies at Renmin University in Beijing.

☆ Kremlin followed EU-China talks, doubts China will change stance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 7 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Friday it had followed "important talks" between Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, but said it doubted China would change its position on the Ukraine conflict under external pressure. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that the Kremlin had "monitored" the talks between the EU and China, but underlined that Russia had its own "rich relations" with Beijing. "China is a very serious, very big power with its own sovereign position ... After the talks, Xi expressed willingness to speak to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy directly, according to von der Leyen, while Macron said he had urged Beijing to "bring Russia back to its senses". Reporting by Reuters; editing by Alison Williams and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine pushes for Western warplane 'coalition'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] A MiG-29 and F-35 planes are parked on a tarmac during a NATO media event at an airbase in Malbork, Poland, March 21, 2023. During a visit to Warsaw on Wednesday, Zelenskiy said Poland had been instrumental in getting Western allies to send battle tanks to Ukraine and he believed it could play the same role in a "planes coalition". MACRON IN CHINAEuropean Union executive head Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to discuss Ukraine during talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday. The U.S. and NATO have said China is considering sending arms to Russia, which Beijing has denied. 'SHOULDER TO SHOULDER'Polish President Andrzej Duda said Warsaw was working to secure additional security guarantees for Ukraine at a NATO summit to be held in Lithuania in July.

[1/2] French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech to inaugurate the Festival Croisements at the Red Brick Museum in Beijing, China, April 5, 2023. For Macron's visit at least, there are high expectations in Beijing. "In other words, not everyone wants to see Macron's visit to China go smoothly and successfully." Later in the afternoon, Macron and von der Leyen will separately hold talks with President Xi Jinping before all three hold trilateral talks in the evening. "Three-quarters of the delegation are business leaders: the goal is first and foremost to sign contracts," left-wing MEP Raphael Glucksmann wrote on Twitter ahead of Macron's visit.

TAIPEI/BEIJING, April 6 (Reuters) - Taiwan was keeping a close watch on a Chinese aircraft carrier and threats to inspect ships in the Taiwan Strait on Thursday after Beijing condemned a meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The meeting took place at a low ebb of U.S.-China relations and despite threats of retaliation from Beijing, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own. In March of last year, the Shandong sailed through the Taiwan Strait, just hours before the Chinese and U.S. presidents were due to talk. However, Taiwan is also concerned about China's announcement late Wednesday that its maritime safety administration is to inspect ships in the Taiwan Strait, including possibly boarding them. Defence Minister Chiu said Taiwan will react if Chinese patrol ships cross the Taiwan Strait's median line, which normally serves as an unofficial barrier between the two sides.

☆ The Kremlin throws cold water on China mediating peace in Ukraine as Macron urges Xi to 'bring Russia to its senses'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Moscow threw cold water on the potential for China to play the role of mediator in the Ukraine war. This came after Macron urged Xi to push Russia to see reason when it comes to the Ukraine war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has invited Xi to visit Ukraine and repeatedly expressed a desire to speak with him. China has claimed that it's neutral in the Ukraine war and unveiled a peace plan in February on the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion. That said, Xi showed no signs that China would provide Russia with weapons during a recent visit to Moscow.

☆ France’s Macron starts tough talks with China’s Xi Jinping on state visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Two of Europe's heaviest weights in politics are holding talks with China's President Xi Jinping at a time when the EU-Sino relationship is at a serious crossroads. With President Xi Jinping, we will also talk about our businesses, the climate and biodiversity, and food security," French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter, moments before meeting the Chinese leader. This is particularly relevant when EU economic growth is vulnerable to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met China's President Xi Jinping last week. Europe's top foreign affairs diplomat, Josep Borrell, is also heading to China next week.

☆ Morning Bid: Markets labor under recession cloud
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan. If the tight U.S. labor market is finally unwinding, markets suspect the Federal Reserve's job may well done after all - but at the cost of a looming recession. With Wednesday's private sector jobs reading for March and Friday's national payrolls report ahead, U.S. interest rate markets were jolted again on Tuesday by surprisingly soft data on job vacancies that suggested cooling demand for staff. More decisively, the two-year Treasury yield plunged more than 20 basis points intraday to hover just above 3.8% on Wednesday. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ At Least 10,000 Foreign Companies to Be Hit by EU Sustainability Rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

The estimates exclude foreign companies that are subject to the reporting requirements due to other conditions, such as having an EU bond listing. Foreign companies with EU listings will need to start reporting these disclosures in 2025 if they have more than 500 employees in the EU. Businesses based in the EU that reported under the bloc’s previous sustainability rules must follow the new requirements from 2025. The EU rules call for limited-assurance audits to start, with a goal of eventually moving to reasonable assurance. Other sustainability reporting regulations are also set to go into effect in the next few years.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy heads to Poland to deepen ties with key Western ally
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kacper PempelKYIV, April 5 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected shortly in neighbouring Poland, a close ally that has played a big role in galvanising Western military and political support for Kyiv against Russia's full-scale invasion. Poland has taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees over the past 13 months of war. The NATO member has also played an important role in persuading other Western powers to supply battle tanks and other weaponry to Ukraine. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Tuesday that Kyiv was grateful to Poland for clearing the way for deliveries of MiG fighter jets. "During talks with President Zelenskiy, we will certainly discuss Ukrainian grain and various agricultural products, because we want any trade with Ukraine not to destabilise our market," Morawiecki said.

☆ Polish agriculture minister resigns amid anger over Ukrainian grain imports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW, April 5 (Reuters) - Polish Agriculture Minister Henryk Kowalczyk resigned from his post on Wednesday amid rising anger among farmers over the impact of Ukrainian grain imports on prices. Kowalczyk said he decided to quit the position due to the European Commission's decision to extend duty free imports for Ukrainain grain until June 2024. Polish farmers had called for the introduction of tariffs. "As it is clear that this demand will not be met by the European Commission at this point, I decided to resign from the post of agriculture minister," Kowalczk said. The prime ministers of five states including Poland wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday to demand action on Ukrainian agricultural imports.

☆ UK plans streamlined post-Brexit border checks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Flags of the Union Jack and European Union are seen ahead of the meeting of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in Brussels, Belgium December 9, 2020. Olivier Hoslet/Pool via REUTERSLONDON, April 5 (Reuters) - Britain has set out plans to simplify and speed up post-Brexit border checks after repeated delays that the government previously blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic and then the war in Ukraine. "The Border Target Operating Model ... sets out a new model for importing goods into the UK from countries inside and outside the EU (the European Union)," the government said in the introduction to the draft proposals. Arrangements for goods moving into Northern Ireland from Great Britain will follow the deal Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struck with the EU in February on post-Brexit trade rules for the region, the government said. It plans to publish the final version by the end of the year after the six-week engagement period.

☆ Europe's relationship with China reaches critical juncture after Xi-Putin meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

European officials are traveling to China in the hope of persuading Beijing to denounce Russia's invasion of Ukraine and cool its recent kinship with the Kremlin. The 27-member bloc walks a tightrope, looking to develop economic ties with China but also reaffirming a close political and cultural relationship with the United States. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met China's President Xi Jinping last week. Europe's top foreign affairs diplomat, Josep Borrell, is heading to China next week. In a visit to Moscow in March, China's leader Xi Jinping referred to his Russian counterpart as a dear friend.

☆ Companies Get Another Year for Some International Sustainability Disclosures
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

The International Sustainability Standards Board voted Tuesday to give companies an extra year to disclose sustainability metrics unrelated to climate issues to investors under its soon-to-be-finalized standards. The ISSB is part of the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation, whose accounting rules are followed in more than 140 countries. The February vote also would have had companies disclose non-climate sustainability metrics as soon as 2025. ISSB staff recommended the one-year delay after companies said reporting all sustainability information at once would be too burdensome. Some ISSB members on Tuesday said a delay would give companies more time to prepare better disclosures and understand investor expectations.

Macron last visited China in 2019 while it will be von der Leyen's first trip since becoming European Commission president that year. However, some analysts said ostentatious deal-signing would appear opportunistic at a time of heightened frictions between the United States and China. "Both (Macron and von der Leyen) have not only business in mind but also Ukraine," said Joerg Wuttke, president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. Macron and von der Leyen are expected to echo the message that Xi should also talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. China and EU decoupling will only serve U.S. interests, but make both China and Europe suffer," it said.

☆ Morning Bid: Markets brush off OPEC as factories stall
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike DolanRelatively calm world markets have brushed off OPEC's latest twist and focussed more squarely on stalled global manufacturing and edgy U.S.-China relations. Crude oil prices held much of Monday's pop higher on the surprise weekend production cut by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. But Brent crude remains below levels seen just before the Silicon Valley Bank bust last month and is still tracking year-on-year declines of 20%. Strikingly, both short and long-term inflation expectations embedded in the Treasury markets , have barely budged since the OPEC news. McCarthy, the third-most-senior U.S. leader after the president and vice president, is due to host a meeting in California on Wednesday with Tsai.

☆ Factbox: Economic reliance on China that EU wants to 'rebalance'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen leaves after an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium March 24, 2023. Von der Leyen said the bloc could not decouple from China, but needed to reduce risk and "rebalance" economic ties. China is the EU's third largest outside market for its cars, and some 15% of EU car exports head there. Chinese EV exports to the bloc shot up to 6.9 billion euros in 2022 from less than 800 million euros in 2020. CLEAN TECHThe EU imports 80% of its solar panels from China, importing 21 billion euros worth in 2022.

LOS ANGELES, April 4 (Reuters) - China, Taiwan, and the United States all share a common interest in ensuring this week's California stopover by Taiwan's president gets the focus each thinks it deserves, but without setting off a new crisis. It is sure to elicit a forceful reaction from Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory. McCarthy, as House speaker, is third in line to the U.S. leadership and he has said publicly that he does not rule out a future visit to Taiwan. Xu Xueyuan, charge d'affaires at China's Washington embassy, said last week that McCarthy meeting Tsai "could lead to another serious confrontation in the China-U.S. With an eye the Taiwan election, China invited former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT party for a visit coinciding with Tsai's U.S. stopovers.

☆ Philippine leader cheers EC move as job losses for 50,000 seafarers averted
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA, April 2 (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Sunday welcomed the European Commission's (EC) decision to continue recognising certificates issued by his country for Filipino seafarers, saying it averted job losses for roughly 50,000 sailors. The EC had warned in 2021 it would withdraw its recognition of Filipino seafarers' certificates unless serious measures were taken, including compliance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for seafarers. Marcos had met with EC President Ursula von der Leyen in December, when he attended the ASEAN-EU summit in Brussels, to discuss the 15-year-old issue involving Filipino seafarers. The EC said it intends to provide the Philippines with technical assistance to further improve its education, training and certification system for seafarers. Reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"It's a very prestigious thing to host the first visit abroad of the King of England, it doesn't happen every day. "Our message will be clear: There may be a temptation to get closer to Russia, but do not cross that line," a senior French diplomat said. They need a good relationship with Europe so will not want to play on Macron's internal problems," another French diplomat said. Analysts say China's deteriorating relationship with the U.S. gives Europe a bit more leverage, with the EU's vast single market becoming more crucial for China. Reporting by Michel Rose, John Irish in Paris and Laurie Chen in Beijing; Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU's von der Leyen is in the running to be new NATO head -The Sun
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 31 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is in the running to be the new head of NATO, The Sun newspaper reported on Friday, citing a diplomatic source. A number of NATO member states have suggested von der Leyen would take over the alliance this October, the report said. The Sun report, citing UK sources, also said Britain would likely veto von der Leyen, who was the former German defense minister, citing her poor track record in charge of Germany's Armed Forces. German newspaper Welt am Sonntag has reported that Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace were among the leading candidates to succeed Stoltenberg. Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ In Beijing, Spanish PM urges Xi to speak with Ukraine's Zelenskiy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Eduardo Baptista | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Sanchez told a news conference in Beijing he had informed Xi, who visited Moscow on March 20-21, that Spain supported the proposals made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. They include a demand to restore Ukraine's territory to the status quo before Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. "I transmitted our concern over the illegal invasion of Ukraine," Sanchez said, adding that he "encouraged Xi to talk to President Zelenskiy". Last month, Beijing put forward its own 12-point peace plan and called for a comprehensive ceasefire in the conflict. Sanchez urged China to seek a more balanced economic relationship with Spain and called for greater transparency.

☆ China Wants to Be at Center of New World Order, Top EU Official Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Laurence Norman | Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Beijing’s actions over the war in Ukraine will be a determining factor for EU-China ties. BRUSSELS—China is seeking a new international order with Beijing as the dominant player, and the European Union must be more assertive in defending its security and economic interests, including possible EU-wide controls on outbound investment, the bloc’s top official said Thursday. In a speech Thursday ahead of her trip to China alongside French President Emmanuel Macron , set to take place next week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU must continue engaging with Beijing but needs a strategy for “de-risking” its relationship and dependencies on China.

☆ EU must cut risks in ties with 'hardening' China - EU chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Given China's economic size and global influence, the European Union's management of this relationship would be a determining factor for EU economic prosperity and security, she said. "How China continues to interact with Putin's war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward," von der Leyen said in a speech in Brussels. Von der Leyen said it was not viable to decouple from China, but it was vital to focus on reducing the risks posed to Europe. The EU, von der Leyen said, already had a range of measures to counter economic distortions and protect its security interests, but the bloc should also look at the high-tech it shared with a changing China. Since 2019, the European Union has officially regarded China as a partner, economic competitor and systemic rival.

☆ How Ukraine's closest allies turned the tide on sending advanced tanks, and could do the same for military jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Their success, an expert told Insider, shows how Europe's balance of power has shifted eastwards since Russia's invasion in February 2022. Sergei Grits/APEstonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu told Insider that Ukraine's allies had been "too slow" when deciding to send weapons to Ukraine. AP Photo/Martin Meissner, FileReinsalu, Estonia's foreign minister, told Insider that he had repeatedly engaged with his German counterpart about the decision. Kallas and Šimonytė, the two prime ministers, both told Insider that they support Ukraine getting military jets. "Ordinarily, on less critical matters, peer pressure happens but the public sees very little of it or none of it," he told Insider.

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