Paris and Berlin are urging the European Commission to create a European “second-strike weapon” capable, in extreme cases, of immediately cutting third countries off from the Single Market. Germany’s dramatic shift brings the EU closer to a tougher confrontation with China and signals a new era of economic deterrence.
Washington and Beijing agreed on more favorable tariff treatment for $30 billion in “non-sensitive goods” in each direction after the Trump-Xi summit, opening another crack in the trade wall between the world’s two largest economies. China is also committing to buy at least 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal in both 2027 and 2028 — but the crucial battle over rare earths remains unresolved.
Xi Jinping has arrived in Washington for his first state visit in a decade, with Donald Trump rolling out a reception designed to project both power and respect. Trade, Taiwan and artificial intelligence dominate the official agenda. Iran, however, may be the file that most clearly exposes the limits of Washington’s doctrine of “reciprocity” toward China.
The war with Iran had already cost the Pentagon $33.4 billion through the end of June, including $22.3 billion in munitions. An official US watchdog has now identified “strategic inventory shortfalls,” while outside estimates suggest Patriot interceptor stocks have been drawn down sharply. The bigger question for Washington is no longer only Iran: how much military capacity can the United States consume in the Middle East while preserving enough to deter Russia and China?
Washington has cleared the potential sale of 48 F-35 stealth fighters to Saudi Arabia, opening the door for Riyadh to become the first Arab state to operate America’s fifth-generation combat aircraft. But the $24.3 billion package is about far more than jets: it tests Israel’s qualitative military edge, raises sensitive questions over China’s growing ties with the kingdom and could bind the US and Saudi defense establishments together for decades.
Η Ουάσιγκτον και το Πεκίνο μπορεί να συγκρούονται, αλλά για την Ινδία εξίσου επικίνδυνη θα ήταν μια μεγάλη μεταξύ τους συνεννόηση. Το Νέο Δελχί επιχειρεί να αποφύγει και τις δύο παγίδες, οικοδομώντας ένα πλέγμα συμμαχιών χωρίς πλήρη ευθυγράμμιση με κανέναν — ένα άτυπο «G-Minus Two» στον Ινδοειρηνικό.
A powerful intervention by METLEN’s Executive Chairman on Bloomberg: Europe knows which raw materials are critical, but Washington is moving faster with stronger incentives — while LNG tensions, China’s dominance and geopolitical instability threaten an exceptionally difficult winter.
From Cairo, the Chinese president urges regional powers to become “masters of their own destiny” as Beijing deepens ties with Egypt in defence, shipping, semiconductors, critical minerals and trade — signalling ambitions that extend far beyond economics
Turkey says NATO allies were informed in advance, while the EU views the pact as potentially complementary to Western security efforts — but concerns over Pakistan’s Chinese defence links are growing.
A US-backed company is taking control of 17 Venezuelan oil projects, including assets previously operated by Chinese and Russian interests, as Washington secures a 35% stake, privileged access to production and a new strategic energy foothold in the Western Hemisphere
With three years left in her second term, the Commission president faces defining tests over Europe’s industrial decline, Trump and Big Tech, the Green Deal, Ukraine and defense, enlargement — and the nearly €2 trillion question of how to pay for it all
Το Arctic Sentry ενισχύει την άμυνα στον Αρκτικό Κύκλο, αλλά δεν απαντά στο πραγματικά δύσκολο ερώτημα: τι συμβαίνει όταν η πίεση στην εδαφική ακεραιότητα ενός συμμάχου προέρχεται από άλλον σύμμαχο — και μάλιστα από τις ίδιες τις ΗΠΑ;
Xi Jinping’s first visit to Egypt in a decade comes as Beijing deepens defense ties with Cairo and Huawei bids to supply more than 2,000 advanced AI chips — triggering a U.S. counter-move and turning Egypt into a new arena of Sino-American competition
Shenzhen was not chosen by accident to host APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in November 2026. The city that evolved from China’s pioneering Special Economic Zone into a global center for hardware, telecommunications, electric vehicles, drones, artificial intelligence and robotics offers Beijing the perfect stage for a much bigger message: the next phase of China’s rise will not be built on trade alone, but on technological and industrial power.
The renewed American engagement in Libya, China's expanding economic footprint, Turkey's growing military influence and the gradual rapprochement between Ankara, Cairo and Gulf states are transforming Libya into one of the most strategically contested arenas in the Eastern Mediterranean. As global powers compete for influence over energy resources, maritime routes and regional security, Libya is once again becoming a pivotal geopolitical battleground with direct implications for Europe and Greece.
From trade tensions with Beijing to support for Kyiv and a historic budget battle, EU leaders gather in Brussels for a high-stakes summit that will test the Union’s unity and strategic direction.
Chinese intelligence circles reportedly view Trump’s Beijing visit not as a strategic breakthrough, but as a temporary ceasefire in a far larger geopolitical war involving Taiwan, artificial intelligence, Iran and global economic dominance
From Taiwan and Iran to AI and supply chains, the US–China rivalry is reshaping the international order — not through direct war, but through strategic endurance, economic coercion and competitive coexistence.
As Washington and Beijing prepare for high-stakes talks, Tehran seeks Chinese protection — but fears it could become a bargaining chip in a far larger geopolitical deal.
Beijing secures oil flows and expands Gulf influence as US pressure on Iran fails to fully contain trade
“Europe must regain voice, power and strategic autonomy” says Ursula von der Leyen
