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Belgium

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Belgium. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Brussels

Head of State

King Philippe

Head of Government

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo

Turkey

6 Europeans activists held in Turkey while investigating prison conditions

Their arrest came on the same day that police detained a Turkish journalist working for Deutsche Welle for ‘spreading false news’.

20 Feb 2026 - 8:40PM

Religion

Belgium summons US ambassador over claims of antisemitism in rare diplomatic row

17 Feb 2026 - 5:59PM

Cambodia

Battered Cambodia seeks economic reset after Thailand border war

17 Feb 2026 - 3:23PMvideocam

Greece

Greece will seek to obtain Nazi execution photos offered for sale on eBay

The images that appeared over the weekend allegedly show 200 Greek men being led to their deaths on May 1, 1944, at an Athens shooting range.

17 Feb 2026 - 5:03AM

A man walks through a memorial site at the Kaisariani Shooting Range in Athens, Greece on Monday, the site where 200 Greek communist political prisoners were executed by Nazi forces on May 1, 1944. Photo: AP

China-EU relations

Exclusive | Cold shoulder? China, EU in diplomatic stand-off ahead of Munich showdown

Annual security conference could provide rare venue for high-level EU-China talks as top diplomats Wang Yi and Kaja Kallas attend.

11 Feb 2026 - 7:43PMvideocam

China consumption

Time on happy hour as French wine and spirit sales sour in mainland China, US

French alcohol exports to mainland China and the US dropped by 19.5 and 21 per cent in 2025 as tariffs stifled global trade.

11 Feb 2026 - 6:33PMvideocam

Greenland

Open Questions | Trump’s ‘imperial’ agenda and the end of the old world order: Luuk van Middelaar

Political theorist says rapid acceleration of the US president’s ‘offensive, almost imperial’ agenda has left Europe disoriented.

9 Feb 2026 - 1:10PMvideocam

China trade

As Beijing and Moscow tout ties, China’s companies keep Ukraine’s lights on

Ukrainians are buying Chinese batteries and emergency items en masse after Russian strikes, with Beijing’s ties to Moscow no damper on trade.

7 Feb 2026 - 6:39AMvideocam

China-EU relations

‘Discriminatory’: China slams EU probe into wind turbine maker Goldwind

Brussels’ ‘abuse of investigations’ is harming China-EU cooperation and slowing Europe’s green transition, Beijing warns.

5 Feb 2026 - 10:28AM

China-EU relations

Full pivot or anxious hedge? Europe’s leaders flock to China

In Brussels, a form of transactional pragmatism has taken root as bloc seeks to weather US hostility.

31 Jan 2026 - 6:00PMvideocam

Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, a non-EU state, pictured in Shanghai on Friday, becoming the latest European leader to make a beeline for China. Photo: Pool via Reuters

US-China relations

Opinion | How the world can design a new trade architecture

Even as the US overhauls world trade norms, China’s quiet but influential role in redefining globalisation is impossible to ignore.

30 Jan 2026 - 7:49AM

Cargo containers are stacked on a ship at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, on October 15, 2025. Photo: EPA

China GDP

Tale of 2 megacities: how did Beijing, Shanghai GDPs surpass 5 trillion yuan?

China’s two largest cities are outpacing national growth rates, each generating gross domestic products equal to a small European country.

29 Jan 2026 - 12:25PMvideocam

China-EU relations

European leaders say the quiet part out loud: order no longer constrains power

EU leaders appear to have finally accepted they are facing a new era of great power competition – the question now is how they respond.

27 Jan 2026 - 9:40AMvideocam

European Union

EU lawmakers divided over resuming work on US trade deal after Greenland crisis

The EU, which suspended the deal in protest against Trump’s demand to take over Greenland, has put off a decision until next week.

27 Jan 2026 - 2:46AM

A drone view of Nuuk, Greenland. Photo: Reuters

Food and Drinks

Craft beers, dim sum, hotpot and more: a culinary trip through Brussels

From craft beers to Chinese hotpot, Brussels’ vibrant food scene blends Belgian tradition and global flavours in unexpected ways.

25 Jan 2026 - 12:15PM

Da Long Yi is a well-established hotpot franchise from Chengdu, and now has hundreds of locations globally in major cities such as London, New York, Sydney – and Belgium. Photo: Charmaine Mok

Environment

Opinion | How China can strengthen High Seas Treaty governance

Xiamen’s recognised coastal management approach underpins its bid to host the treaty secretariat.

23 Jan 2026 - 5:30AM

Jimmy Lai trial

Beijing, Hong Kong slam European bid to sanction officials over Jimmy Lai trial

Resolution in response to conviction of former media boss also calls for rethink of city’s trade status under World Trade Organization.

23 Jan 2026 - 11:13PMvideocam

Diplomacy

China bids to host High Seas Treaty secretariat, even as US exits UN bodies

China puts forward Xiamen as potential future home of Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction secretariat as treaty comes into force.

19 Jan 2026 - 10:01PMvideocam

The BBNJ Agreement provides a framework for governing the ocean that lies beyond the jurisdiction of any individual country, covering around two-thirds of global waters. Photo: Shutterstock

Brics

Testing the waters: is Brics evolving into a security alliance?

The first naval exercises under the ‘Brics plus’ banner saw Brazil, Egypt, China, Russia and South Africa take part. India did not.

17 Jan 2026 - 12:00PM

China-EU relations

China’s charm offensive: Beijing bypasses Brussels to soften EU trade push

From aircraft orders in France to reopened beef and pork markets for Ireland and Spain, mainland officials are leaning hard into diplomacy.

17 Jan 2026 - 12:13PMvideocam

Iran

Trump says Iran wants to negotiate after reports of hundreds killed in unrest

Amidst unrest, Trump claims Iran seeks talks, but warns of strong action. Tehran blames the US and Israel, but signals openness to diplomacy.

12 Jan 2026 - 7:31PMvideocam

A masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran on Friday. Photo: UGC via AP

France

Europe paralysed by snow as brutal cold snap disrupts flights, rail services

Thousands stranded as chaos grounds flights, with black ice sparking fatal accidents, while death toll rises to six in season’s worst freeze.

7 Jan 2026 - 8:16PM

Snow falls on the streets of central Paris on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Britain

Eurostar to resume services after Channel Tunnel power glitch sparks travel chaos

A power issue halted services between London and Europe, stranding travellers and causing disruption during the busy run-up to New Year.

31 Dec 2025 - 12:30AM

Belarus

Opinion | Can Belarus balance relations with Russia, China and the US?

Minsk aims to rebalance its foreign policy towards Beijing and Washington but geopolitical realities prevent a full break from Russia.

23 Dec 2025 - 9:34PM

Ukraine war

Opinion | How the West’s sanctions against Russia are fuelling a protracted war

For hubs of transit trade from Armenia to the UAE, economic self-interest is best served by having sanctions on Russia in place indefinitely.

23 Dec 2025 - 4:30PM

A “Give peace a chance” mural depicting musician John Lennon overlooks anti-drone nets along a road in the city of Izyum in Ukraine on December 12. Photo: EPA

China-EU relations

China slaps tariffs on EU cheese and cream amid trade row

Alleging that European subsidies are hurting Chinese producers, Beijing has imposed fees that look to hit French exporters the hardest.

22 Dec 2025 - 11:26PMvideocam

China has slapped provisional anti-subsidy fees of up to 42.7 per cent on European producers of certain dairy products, including various types of cheese and cream. Photo: AFP

China exports

China’s rare earth magnet exports to EU jump nearly 60% as approvals take effect

Shipments of permanent magnets to Europe saw a large increase in November, as Beijing begins granting general licences for rare earth exports.

22 Dec 2025 - 7:31PM

Year in Review

10 most read Daily Pulse briefings of 2025

SCMP Plus looks back at the year’s 10 most popular Daily Pulse bulletins, covering China issues related to diplomacy, trade and economics.

22 Dec 2025 - 5:00PM

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Belgium

6 Europeans activists held in Turkey while investigating prison conditions

Their arrest came on the same day that police detained a Turkish journalist working for Deutsche Welle for ‘spreading false news’.

Belgium summons US ambassador over claims of antisemitism in rare diplomatic row

Battered Cambodia seeks economic reset after Thailand border war

Greece will seek to obtain Nazi execution photos offered for sale on eBay

The images that appeared over the weekend allegedly show 200 Greek men being led to their deaths on May 1, 1944, at an Athens shooting range.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Exclusive | Cold shoulder? China, EU in diplomatic stand-off ahead of Munich showdown

Annual security conference could provide rare venue for high-level EU-China talks as top diplomats Wang Yi and Kaja Kallas attend.

Time on happy hour as French wine and spirit sales sour in mainland China, US

French alcohol exports to mainland China and the US dropped by 19.5 and 21 per cent in 2025 as tariffs stifled global trade.

Open Questions | Trump’s ‘imperial’ agenda and the end of the old world order: Luuk van Middelaar

Political theorist says rapid acceleration of the US president’s ‘offensive, almost imperial’ agenda has left Europe disoriented.

As Beijing and Moscow tout ties, China’s companies keep Ukraine’s lights on

Ukrainians are buying Chinese batteries and emergency items en masse after Russian strikes, with Beijing’s ties to Moscow no damper on trade.

‘Discriminatory’: China slams EU probe into wind turbine maker Goldwind

Brussels’ ‘abuse of investigations’ is harming China-EU cooperation and slowing Europe’s green transition, Beijing warns.

Full pivot or anxious hedge? Europe’s leaders flock to China

In Brussels, a form of transactional pragmatism has taken root as bloc seeks to weather US hostility.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | How the world can design a new trade architecture

Even as the US overhauls world trade norms, China’s quiet but influential role in redefining globalisation is impossible to ignore.

Tale of 2 megacities: how did Beijing, Shanghai GDPs surpass 5 trillion yuan?

China’s two largest cities are outpacing national growth rates, each generating gross domestic products equal to a small European country.

European leaders say the quiet part out loud: order no longer constrains power

EU leaders appear to have finally accepted they are facing a new era of great power competition – the question now is how they respond.

EU lawmakers divided over resuming work on US trade deal after Greenland crisis

The EU, which suspended the deal in protest against Trump’s demand to take over Greenland, has put off a decision until next week.

Craft beers, dim sum, hotpot and more: a culinary trip through Brussels

From craft beers to Chinese hotpot, Brussels’ vibrant food scene blends Belgian tradition and global flavours in unexpected ways.

Opinion | How China can strengthen High Seas Treaty governance

Xiamen’s recognised coastal management approach underpins its bid to host the treaty secretariat.

Beijing, Hong Kong slam European bid to sanction officials over Jimmy Lai trial

Resolution in response to conviction of former media boss also calls for rethink of city’s trade status under World Trade Organization.

China bids to host High Seas Treaty secretariat, even as US exits UN bodies

China puts forward Xiamen as potential future home of Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction secretariat as treaty comes into force.

Testing the waters: is Brics evolving into a security alliance?

The first naval exercises under the ‘Brics plus’ banner saw Brazil, Egypt, China, Russia and South Africa take part. India did not.

China’s charm offensive: Beijing bypasses Brussels to soften EU trade push

From aircraft orders in France to reopened beef and pork markets for Ireland and Spain, mainland officials are leaning hard into diplomacy.

Trump says Iran wants to negotiate after reports of hundreds killed in unrest

Amidst unrest, Trump claims Iran seeks talks, but warns of strong action. Tehran blames the US and Israel, but signals openness to diplomacy.

Europe paralysed by snow as brutal cold snap disrupts flights, rail services

Thousands stranded as chaos grounds flights, with black ice sparking fatal accidents, while death toll rises to six in season’s worst freeze.

Eurostar to resume services after Channel Tunnel power glitch sparks travel chaos

A power issue halted services between London and Europe, stranding travellers and causing disruption during the busy run-up to New Year.

Opinion | Can Belarus balance relations with Russia, China and the US?

Minsk aims to rebalance its foreign policy towards Beijing and Washington but geopolitical realities prevent a full break from Russia.

Opinion | How the West’s sanctions against Russia are fuelling a protracted war

For hubs of transit trade from Armenia to the UAE, economic self-interest is best served by having sanctions on Russia in place indefinitely.

China slaps tariffs on EU cheese and cream amid trade row

Alleging that European subsidies are hurting Chinese producers, Beijing has imposed fees that look to hit French exporters the hardest.

China’s rare earth magnet exports to EU jump nearly 60% as approvals take effect

Shipments of permanent magnets to Europe saw a large increase in November, as Beijing begins granting general licences for rare earth exports.

10 most read Daily Pulse briefings of 2025

SCMP Plus looks back at the year’s 10 most popular Daily Pulse bulletins, covering China issues related to diplomacy, trade and economics.

Exclusive | Cold shoulder? China, EU in diplomatic stand-off ahead of Munich showdown

Opinion | How the world can design a new trade architecture