The following article appeared in Global Times  on 29 September: It now looks unlikely that the current Sino-Japanese dispute will be resolved next week in Brussels on the sidelines of the ASEM Asia-Europe Summit, when Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan will both be there.  Whatever the true facts of the collision [...]

“Politicians come and go but culture lives on” said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, when opening the “EU-China High Level Cultural Forum”, which was held in Brussels on 6-7 October.  The successful development of EU-China relations needs increased mutual understanding.  A first step towards mutual understanding is cultural engagement (culture in its broadest sense).  Within this [...]

Wen Jiabao and Nato Kan, the prime ministers of China and Japan, discussed, in the wings of the ASEM Summit in Brussels, the tensions following the 7 September maritime incident near the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku islands.  They will have further opportunities to talk when they meet later this month in Hanoi for the East Asia Summit, [...]

Whether or not Iran is going to build nuclear weapons remains uncertain, as does the time-span in which it could be achieved.  This is still some years away as Israel has only recently confirmed.  A breakdown in the current attempt at Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations could lead to conflagration: anything other than a two state solution [...]

It is a poor reflection on the EU’s China activities if the latest available organigrarmme is nearly five years old and there is no agreement as to how many Dialogues, Working Groups (WG) etc there are.  It indicates a serious lack of coordination.     The structure of EU-China relations according to the Commission in December 2005 [...]

Despite the changed circumstances, the debate over the effectiveness of the ‘Community method’ as compared with ‘intergovernmentalism’, rages on.  Those who regard themselves as ‘true believers’ see the Community method as the Holy Grail.  There is a belief that the Community method equates to Jean Monnet’s methodology.  The European Council is anathema to them as [...]

The EU Summit has come and gone, but was hijacked over the Roma dispute.  This meant that little time was spent on discussing strategies towards third countries, including China.  There was an inconclusive discussion at the recent informal foreign ministers’ meeting. We do know how the EU High Representative for Foreign & Security Policy/Commission Vice [...]

• Many fewer Poles than other EU respondents approve of Obama’s handling of international policies. • Given the choice between accepting a nuclear Iran and taking military action, 64% of Americans and 43% of Europeans favour military action. • Fewer than 20% of EU and US citizens believe that China plays a positive role internationally. [...]

What is the SCO? The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has, to the surprise of many, emerged as a force to be reckoned with in Central Asia. The ‘Shanghai Five’, founded in 1996, became the SCO in 2001.  Its members are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.  India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan are Observers.  Belarus [...]

The Commission President delivered to the European Parliament on 7 September his first State of the Union Message.  This comprised a catalogue of current problems without offering concrete remedies.  Implementation is the problem.  President Barroso has a great opportunity in his second term to make a mark.  But he should focus on a small number [...]