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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 10h

Had literally just cropped it to share with people

Reposted by Finbarr Bermingham

Rob Francis @robfranciseu.bsky.social · 10h

One minute we hear that Germany has caved to France on excluding the UK from 'Made in Europe' rules - then I read that Germany wants UK to increase tariffs on Chinese EVs OR risk being outside 'Made in Europe'. Perfectly encapsulates the confusion and mess of the IAA.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 10h

Voldemort alert 💀 "Furthermore, we will hear from the Commission – and provide further guidance – on the vital ongoing work to reduce the global macroeconomic imbalances that are having an impact on European industry."

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 12h

They've learned from the best across the board, it seems!

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 12h

PBOC issued a formal document on its policy position along with an English translation. It defended yuan management & argued growth is driven by increasing industrial competitiveness “China has no need or intent to gain competitive advantages through currency devaluation"

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 12h

China’s central bank rejected claims that the yuan is undervalued ahead of scheduled trade talks with the European Union, arguing that exchange-rate adjustments won’t resolve the structural problems behind global economic imbalances. www.bloomberg.com/ne...

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 12h

Ecosia — a German web browser and search engine that has built its brand on support for climate action and independence from non-European tech — is used by institutions ranging from Germany’s federal environment ministry to the U.K.’s NHS.

politico.eu

German search engine ditches Mistral, bets on Chinese open-source AI

“We are disappointed with the quality of Mistral,” Ecosia founder and CEO told POLITICO.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 13h

A Berlin-based search engine used by govt is dropping its French AI partner, Mistral, in favour of open-source models, including Chinese “We are disappointed with the quality of Mistral,” Ecosia CEO Christian Kroll said, stating its models are “a year behind” competition

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 16h

Macron's diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonne will be in China from October 9 to 13 to meet Wang Yi Teeing Macron up for one last jaunt to China before April? Or perhaps a meeting with Xi at the G20...?

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 16h

Presumably some messages would be passed, but these things are a long time in the works. Planned long before Merz's pivot this week

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 16h

The EU pulling funds on the demand of the US, while Marco Rubio comes to Europe to run them into the ground "With every passing year we seemed to outsource more of our sovereignty, transferring our decisions to global bureaucracies far beyond the reach of our control" www.state.gov/releases/off...

state.gov

Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks - United States Department of State

SECRETARY RUBIO: There are great ruins all across the world. In many cases, they are places where history seems to have exhausted itself: remnants of distant cultures that have long passed beyond li...

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 17h

Well he's not really setting the policy and is leaving office in March, so it makes sense he would want to visit

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 17h

The conference, titled #Disinfo2026, included sessions that described the U.S. as a “foreign information manipulation and interference” actor, or “FIMI,” which bothered the Trump administration, according to the cable.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 17h

The Trump administration pressured diplomatic officials from the EU, Canada and Lithuania to pull out of an international conference on disinformation after organizers announced panels warning of the threat posed by American government officials

politico.com

EU, Canada and Lithuania pull out of disinformation conference after US pressure

The Trump administration was bothered by panels that referred to the U.S. as a disinformation threat.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 18h

NEW: German President Steinmeier is planning to visit China in the next couple of weeks. With Dewey Sim www.scmp.com/news/ch...

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

My guess is they want them to stop foreign subsidies regulation investigations vs companies that invest a certain amount in production

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

4. Establish more stable expectations regarding the supply of critical items while addressing the market-access restrictions faced by Chinese companies in Europe.

geopolitechs.org

State-Linked Yuyuantantian Signals Beijing’s Possible Approach to Breaking the China-EU Trade Deadlock

Today, Yuyuantantian published a commentary on China-EU relations.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

2. EV price undertakings, "so as to prevent trade frictions from expanding" 3. Encourage Chinese companies to invest in Europe "while ensuring Chinese-invested companies receive a stable and non-discriminatory policy environment"

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

EU's Big Ask of China: cap exports in a single sector, likely PHEVs But what does a deal look like from China's POV? Per Yuyuantantian, blog linked to CCTV, 4 prongs (via geopolitechs) 1. Joint monitoring mechanisms to jointly verify trade flows in sectors eg PHEV & chemicals

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

‘No more dumping, no more spying’: European Parliament hardens line on China Story on this vote, Chinese lobbying and the parliament's divisions www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

scmp.com

‘No more dumping, no more spying’: European Parliament hardens line on China

Report calls Beijing an ‘existential threat’ to industry and urges naval exercises around Taiwan Strait.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

But S&D amendments seeking to soften the report ACCEPTED This language restores the language of a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, while stressed avoidance of "bloc confrontation" & while downgrading security & deleting reciprocity as organising principles Big compromise

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

BREAKING: European Parliament significantly toughens China position, adopted by landslide FOR 454 AGAINST 86 ABSTAIN 110 Report says China is “decisive enabler” of Russia & backs a “continuous [European] naval presence and joint exercises” in and around the Taiwan Strait

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

A spokesman for the German Economy Ministry confirmed the decision on Wednesday after a Cabinet meeting in Berlin. The acquisition of 80% of shares in Zippel by a Chinese company "would have deepened dependencies and jeopardized the resilience of Germany’s & EU supply chains"

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The German government has blocked the sale of large parts of Hamburg logistics company Zippel to China's state-owned shipping giant COSCO due to security concerns, DPA reports

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Sánchez took aim at opposition People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo whose regional membership “do not hold such an anti-China stance” “They need to unite their position,” said Sánchez, highlighting PP-led regions, including Galicia, home to major Chinese investments

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Elections will not change Spain's stance on China, Pedro Sanchez says: “We need a space for dialogue, intelligent management of differences with China at a state level,” he told the press. www.rapporteur.com/n...

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Renault is bringing Chinese EV motor assembly to its Cléon plant in France. But unions say the new line will create just 27 jobs across all teams, while potentially putting existing production under pressure. Good piece by Xiaofei Xu

scmp.com

Renault’s plan to build Chinese EV motors in French town sparks job loss fears

As EU-China trade talks near, the Renault plant shows the hard reality of creating jobs in a shrinking industry, even with Chinese partners.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

He’s trying to negotiate measures with the Chinese that they themselves would take to curb their exports or their dumping in certain sectors,” he said. “But it’s doubtful that this will be enough. So we also need a Plan B.”

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

“Today, everyone is on high alert,” Pascal Lamy, former chief of the World Trade Organization, told Le Monde on Tuesday. “We need a Plan A to deal with China: that’s what Sefcovic is doing...

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

With the socialist leader calling a snap election in November and trailing in the polls, China could soon find it has few defenders at Europe’s top table.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Leaders from the 27 EU members will meet next week in Brussels where they will be debriefed on the Beijing talks. At the last such meeting in June, only Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke up against a tougher trade policy.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

China’s commerce ministry said on Tuesday it hoped “France & Germany … refrain from encouraging EU to frequently resort to protectionist tools & not politicise or over-securitise economic & trade issues, to avoid taking the wrong path... and ultimately harming themselves”.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

This diversification instrument is likely to be laid out, along with a solidarity fund to compensate firms hit by trade retaliation, in early December.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The new instrument would be in addition to a tool aimed at forcing EU firms in key sectors to broaden their supplier base to avoid becoming further dependent on imports that can be weaponised.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

According to Bernd Lange, the European Parliament’s top trade lawmaker, “the European Council has finally woken up”. With Germany and France, two heavyweights have recognised that we need a change of course when it comes to trade defence instruments," he said

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The letter marks an unlikely alliance: Paris has for years been the cheerleader for more protectionism and industrial policy, with Berlin often the biggest obstacle.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

“We need a credible instrument in the hands of the Commission to allow for decisive and systemic reaction, i.e. activation by reversed qualified majority, and for powerful measures up to an immediate cut-off from the internal market if needed,” it read.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

A letter signed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, laid out the reasoning behind the move.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

On Monday, Paris & Berlin co-signed a paper calling for, among other things, a new trade weapon to allow EU to cut China out of its market immediately – a dramatic step-change from a German government that was for years reluctant to take Beijing to task for fear of retribution

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

“The consensus for European action on China is finally in place after Germany’s caution had long held back a more robust EU approach,” Small said.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The dynamic has led to an unprecedented Franco-German alliance on China policy that seems set to push the EU in a much more hawkish direction.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

German officials are convinced that behind the cutthroat competitiveness lie undeclared Chinese state subsidies, an undervalued currency and other forms of support.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Chinese firms that were valued customers and suppliers for German manufacturers have hurtled up the value chain to become ruthless competitors.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Surges in cheap imports from China in key sectors are blamed for the loss of thousands of factory jobs across Europe’s industrial heartlands, particularly in Germany.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Nonetheless, minor progress is unlikely to deter the EU from taking the task of rebalancing into its own hands later this year. The bloc is convinced that China’s model of state capitalism and subsidised competition is putting its own manufacturing sector in jeopardy.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Beijing could hope to retain broader access to the lucrative European market at a time when its economic reliance on exports is growing.

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