U.S. allies in Europe are banding together against President Donald Trump’s ultimatum: tax imported goods from their countries unless Denmark surrenders control of strategically important Greenland. Trump said that U.S. ownership of Greenland – an 800,000-square-mile Arctic island and Danish territory – is vital to national security. He says Denmark cannot defend its mineral-rich territory from China and Russia. On Monday, Trump criticized NATO, saying the alliance has failed to compel Denmark to comply. “NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that ‘you have to get the Russian threat…
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There are no Chinese warships operating in Greenland and no significant Chinese investments in the region, Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in Washington on Wednesday, as he countered US threats to seize the Arctic island. Rasmussen, together with Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, had an hourlong meeting with US Vice-President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House, the first face-to-face meeting between the high-level officials as Washington’s rhetoric of taking full control Greenland has run high. “It was a great opportunity also for…
Amid global tensions involving Venezuela and Iran, there is hope that the scheduled meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing in April 2026 could arrest America’s aggressive and predatory policies. A possible Trump-Xi détente could also reduce risk-taking in the Taiwan Straits, and push China to take a different position on the Ukraine war. In 2025, Trump accepted an invitation from Xi to visit Beijing in April 2026. The call, as US media reported, was initiated by Xi. This was preceded by a…
When Donald Trump pulled back on his plan to impose eye-watering tariffs on trading partners across the world, there was one key exception: China. While the rest of the world would be given a 90-day reprieve on additional duties beyond the new 10% tariffs on all U.S. trade partners, China would feel the squeeze even more. On April 9, 2025, Trump raised the tariff on Chinese goods to 125% – bringing the total U.S. tariff on some Chinese imports to 145%. The move, in Trump’s telling, was prompted by Beijing’s…
China announced on Friday that it will change export tax rebates for a range of products, including photovoltaic and battery products. The announcement, jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration, said that export tax rebates for the value added tax of photovoltaic products will be canceled starting from April 1, 2026. Meanwhile, the export tax rebate rate for the value added tax of battery products will be reduced from 9 percent to 6 percent starting from April 1, 2026, and will be eliminated starting from…
In his annual address to French ambassadors at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron outlined France’s foreign policy priorities, sharply criticizing the US for “gradually turning away” from some of its allies and “breaking free from international rules,” while leveling criticisms and claims against China and Russia, according to a press release issued by the Élysée Palace. A Chinese expert noted that Macron’s criticism appears to be mostly aimed at the US following a series of Washington’s actions, although he also criticized Russia and made…
PARIS/BERLIN, Jan 8 (Reuters) – Allies including France and Germany are working closely on a plan on how to respond should the United States act on its threat to take over Greenland, as Europe seeks to address U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitions in the region. A U.S. military seizure of Greenland from a longtime ally, Denmark, would send shock waves through the NATO alliance and deepen the divide between Trump and European leaders. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the subject would be raised at a meeting with the foreign…
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted a formal pardon request to President Isaac Herzog on Sunday, according to a statement from the president’s office. In a letter sent by Netanyahu and his lawyers, a copy of which was seen by Xinhua, Netanyahu stated that he submitted the request “out of public responsibility.” He added that ending his trial “will help to reduce the intensity of the flames in the power debate surrounding it.” “Faced with the security challenges and political opportunities currently facing the State of Israel, I…
China announced on Wednesday that it will suspend additional tariffs on certain US imports starting at 1:01 pm on November 10, as part of efforts to implement the outcomes of recent China-US economic and trade consultations, according to an official statement from the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council. To implement the outcomes of the China-US economic and trade consultations, China will suspend the additional tariffs imposed under the announcement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council on imposing additional tariffs on certain imports originating from the…
Foreign ministers from seven countries met in Istanbul on Monday to discuss efforts to uphold the Gaza ceasefire and plan for the enclave’s future, as Israeli strikes continued despite the truce. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Fidan said the ministers agreed on the need to maintain the ceasefire and prevent new violence. “All participants agree that we do not want the atrocities in Gaza to resume,” he told reporters, adding that the group supports a…