US President Donald Trump’s thundering trade salvos now seem to be concentrating exclusively against China. This week’s cannonade though didn’t remain unanswered. On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, said “China will inevitably take countermeasures to resolutely protect our legitimate rights”. On Friday 7 September, the ‘America first’ ex TV celebrity aboard ‘Air […]Trump aims trade offensive solely to China, renews truce with EU
September 13, 2018 by Leave a Comment
US President Donald Trump’s thundering trade salvos now seem to be concentrating exclusively against China. This week’s cannonade though didn’t remain unanswered. On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, said “China will inevitably take countermeasures to resolutely protect our legitimate rights”. On Friday 7 September, the ‘America first’ ex TV celebrity aboard ‘Air […]Climate change update: consistent global actions urgently needed as we are running out of time
September 12, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Record high temperatures and extreme weather events across the world urge leaders to focus more on climate actions that will stop temperatures increase by more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels through greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The progress at the Bangkok conference last week was not consequential leaving gaps at the completion of the […]The Brexit factor in the US-China trade war and other conflicts
September 10, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Last Friday, the American President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One threatened China with new tariffs on $267 billion of goods heading for the US markets, on top of the $200bn worth of Chinese exports Washington currently is ready to punish with extra levies. The US has already imposed extra tariffs on $50bn of Chinese […]Trump rejects Europe’s offer for zero car tariffs; he had personally tabled that idea in July
September 3, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The US-Mexico trade agreement, with or without Canada on board, targets Europe aggressively. For one thing, it will make life difficult for the German car companies which produce in Mexican assembly lines and sell in the US. Last Thursday, the European Sting reported the hidden sides of the US-Mexico trade deal in an article entitled, […]The US-Mexico trade deal a threat for others, Trump to single out China, Europe
August 30, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between US, Mexico and Canada is reborn. It was discarded and denounced by the American President Donald Trump since the first days of his campaign to conquer the White House, and now it returns almost undamaged, just under another name. Last Monday, after more than one year of […]US-China trade war at point of no return: Washington’s demands go beyond tariffs
August 27, 2018 by Leave a Comment
It seems the US-China trade conflict, if not full scale trade war, is entering the phase of no return. Nothing will be as before in the economic and otherwise relations between the two largest economies of the world. Washington appears ready to push its cause to the end, while Beijing still pretends not to understand […]Trump fines China with $50 billion a year plus some more…
August 6, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The New Yorker President of ‘America first’, Donald Trump, has figured out the cash China has to pay the US every year, in order to continue exporting her products to the largest market of the globe. It’s something like the ‘protection’ cash New York shopkeepers have to pay the gangs in order to get on […]Skeptic France about Trump-Juncker trade deal favoring German cars; EU’s unity in peril
July 30, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The Trump-Juncker trade truce and pledge for ‘zero tariffs’ seems to have left everybody happy, especially Berlin, but the French said don’t uncork ‘les champagnes’, at least not yet. In detail, last Wednesday, the American President Donald Trump and the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker met in the White House and struck an agreement about […]The EU sides with China against the US; but has Germany capitulated to America?
July 23, 2018 by 3 Comments
If billions of EU penalties on American icon companies and U.S. super tariffs on European cars are strong and aggressive trade weapons, then yes the EU and the U.S. are at all out economic war. As in all wars, the difficult or even impossible thing is to predict its end. Unavoidably, there will be victims […]Does May have enough time in Parliament to table a soft Brexit deal?
July 16, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The American President, last Wednesday and Thursday, after having infuriated his European allies at the NATO Summit, flew to London. Just after landing there he told the Brits that the US will not offer Britain a trade deal after Brexit, because May’s proposal for the divorce with the EU is not to his liking. In […]Trump doesn’t only target Germany, aims to crack the entire EU
July 12, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The EU-US trade war is now deeply dividing Europe between those who export cars to America and those who don’t. Germany and France have for quite some time been at odds, regarding the handling of the latest Donald Trump threat to impose import super-tariffs on cars assembled in Europe. Now, however, their differences are becoming […]EU and China seize momentum to enhance trade agreements in response to Trump’s administration
July 11, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The EU-China summit will take place on July 16-17 in Beijing where both parties are going to discuss how to improve their trade and investment relations the moment when Donald Trump’s administration is imposing tariffs all around the world shaking the world and trade order. Chinese and EU leaders have already met in Bulgaria and […]Trump’s MAGA policy remains unchanged as EU warns to impose additional retaliation tariffs on US products
July 4, 2018 by Leave a Comment
EU threatened the US last Friday with tariff measures on 294 billion dollars of US exports in case Donald Trump’s administration imposes import tariffs on cars and car parts. The US president seems to be doing whatever possible to cause trade wars all over the world. The Old Continent will continue attempting to persuade Mr […]On the detention of children in the United States of America
June 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Endorsed content of The Sting’s close partner, the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA) All children have the right to opportunities to survive, grow and develop with physical, emotional and social well-being. These rights are defined by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human rights (UDHR), which applies human rights to all age groups, […]Trump goes ahead with plan to undo globalization; targets China and EU
June 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Harley-Davidson motor cycles is the first American iconic company to suffer in more than one way from Trump’s action aimed at reversing the world economic order. It’s a matter of fact by now that the ‘America first’ President seems decided to overturn globalization. In doing so, apart from causing global disorder, he will embarrass a […]Trump-China trade war lingers upsetting global economy and stock markets
June 20, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The trade war between US and China has escalated in the last few days when Trump decided to announce tariffs on Chinese goods worthy of 50 billion dollars. The latter was not left unanswered by Beijing that fought back with similar announcements. However, the trade threats continued with the US warning to impose additional tariffs […]Germany takes cover from Trump in Eurozone and decides to pay for it
June 14, 2018 by 7 Comments
Nobody in Germany doubts it any more that Donald Trump’s America is not a friendly country and market any more, or a guarantor of European security, as was the case for the last 70 years after WWII. To ward off any confusion about that, the German ambassador to the US made a clear statement. Peter […]G7 summit: Trump Vs. G6 leaders on trade and climate change
June 13, 2018 by 1 Comment
US President Donald Trump continued yesterday his fierceful critic to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the aftermath of last weekend’s G7 summit which took place in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada with the seven largest advanced economies in the world to discuss about gender equality, women’s empowerment, clean energy, and economic growth that works for […]At last Germany to negotiate the costs for a really cohesive Eurozone
June 7, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Finally, Germany blinked. Chancellor Angela Merkel at last decided to clearly respond and, up to a certain degree, uphold French President Emmanuel Macron’s ideas, about reforming the Eurozone, in order not only to save it from unraveling, but, if possibe, to make it more cohesive and stronger. In an interview to last Sunday’s issue of […]US-EU trade war: Berlin fearful of the second round
June 4, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Finally, Trump did it. He declared war against his country’s closest and more loyal allies Canada, the European Union and Mexico. In the case of the EU though, things may be more complicated than the super tariffs on steel and aluminum products of 25% and 10% respectively, imposed as from 1 June by the US […]US Tariffs on Steel and Aluminium: Statement of Trade Committee Chair
June 1, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The Chairman of International Trade Committee of the European Parliament Bernd Lange (S&D, Germany) issued the following statement on the new US tariffs. “The International Trade Committee of the European Parliament condemns the decision of the United States to levy tariffs on imports of […]Macron in St. Petersburg didn’t oppose Trump on Iran, in Putin’s presence
May 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Emmanuel Macron, the French President, who has regained the European political initiative for his country, traveled to St. Petersburg, in Russia last Thursday. This was not an official state visit though. Macron just decided to participate in St. Petersburg’s annual International Economic Forum (SPIEF). A high end business delegation accompanied him. Macron met Putin only […]America writes-off Iran, blocks Europe’s Tehran talks
May 24, 2018 by Leave a Comment
While the European Union and more so Germany have being relentlessly working to save the nuclear non-proliferation deal with Iran, last Monday the new US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, shattered any opening for negotiations with Tehran. Until Pompeo dropped his bombshell, the EU was discussing a new pact with Iran, on the basis of […]Is Germany closer to Russia than the West? Nord Stream II and Iran count more
May 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Last Friday, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, rushed to Sochi, the Black Sea seaside Russian resort to meet Vladimir Putin. It was the first visit by a Western leader to meet him at home, after his fourth inauguration on 7 May as President of the vast country, this time for six more years. Looking through […]The global liberal order is in trouble – can it be salvaged, or will it be replaced?
May 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Robert Muggah, Research Director, Igarapé Institute The global liberal order is coming unstuck. After a 70-year run, the future of liberal democracy, open markets and common security agreements hang in the balance. There are red flags just about […]Europe split in confronting the US sanctions on Iran, Washington isolated
May 14, 2018 by 1 Comment
Donald Trump, the ‘America First’ President in withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear non-proliferation deal, doesn’t seem to be honoring his lead electoral motto. It seems that he is serving more the interests of Saudi Arabia and to a lesser extent of Israel. Riyadh has much at stake in its inimical interaction with Iran. Israel on […]How the United States can win back its manufacturing mojo
May 11, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Sadasivan Shankar, Associate, Harvard, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Not all inventions end up being useful to humanity. Ideas need to be translated into reality before the world recognizes and benefits from innovation. The US, historically, […]France-Germany: Divided in Europe, USA united in…Iran
May 10, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Last Tuesday afternoon the President of ‘America first’ Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Nuclear non-Proliferation Agreement with Iran. The deal is known as P5+1 and was co-signed by the US, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China. There is no information regarding when the US is to re-introduce its economic sanctions against Iran, and […]Macron and Trump press Merkel to recycle the German trade surpluses
May 7, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The divisive effect on Europe that Donald Trump’s trade war has generated, takes on new dimensions now. Only the European Sting highlighted this aspect, when the President of ‘America first’ fired the first shots, igniting the trade skirmishes. The differences, about how to respond to the US trade aggression, between the French President Emmanuel […]Britain aligns with EU rivaling US on trade and Iran, abandons bilateral ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’
May 3, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Last Sunday 29 April, Britain determinedly joined the other two major European Union powers, Germany and France in cautioning the US not to activate its super levies of 25% and 10% on imports of steel and aluminum respectively. Donald Trump, the president of ‘America first’, on 23 March had announced the imposition of the above […]Business uncertainty rises as US grants only temporary exception to EU for steel and aluminium tariffs
May 2, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Trump’s America first decided last Monday to prolong negotiations on steel and aluminium tariffs with Canada, the EU and Mexico till June 1. This announcement was made just a few hours before the temporary exception expires preventing retaliation and massive impact on the relationship between the U.S., EU, Canada and Mexico. However, the EU officials expressed […]Macron crowned king of Europe in Washington D.C.; just a working meeting with Trump for Merkel
April 26, 2018 by Leave a Comment
A rare service Donald Trump is currently doing for the Europeans is that he offers them a platform for important common action to be undertaken by the French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They are both visiting the White House this week, but expect quite different reception from Trump; pompous state […]EU-China trade: closer ties as US-China trade battle brews
April 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The U.S. Commerce Department announced last Monday that it prohibited American companies from selling components to ZTE, one of the biggest tech companies in China, for seven years. The Chinese side responded to this action by introducing a huge import charge on US shipments of sorghum mentioning that it will defend multilateralism and free trade […]
