Noah Barkin
As seen in:
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I post mostly on LinkedIn & BlueSky these days
Articles by Noah Barkin
China and Switzerland have a new tariff-scrapping trade deal. How will the EU react?
Huizhao Huang The move, seen by analysts as a signal to the EU, will eventually double duty-free coverage included in 12-year-old free-trade agreement China and Switzerland have concluded negotiations on the scrapping of tariffs on 99.8 per cent of Swiss exports, with analysts saying the deal carries more symbolic than economic weight amid growing trade tensions between China and the European Union.
Watching China in Europe
If one were to reduce the past decade of European policy towards China to a single sentence, it might look something like this: Years of steadily rising concern about China’s authoritarian turn, manufacturing dominance and economic coercion that has unfolded without a forceful policy response due to Germany and its powerful car lobby.
Watching China in Europe
In the weeks since EU leaders gave the European Commission a green light to develop a more forceful trade response to China, the German government has been working overtime to decide how far it is prepared to go. German officials are working with their French counterparts on a joint paper on China policy that they plan to present at a Franco-German ministerial meeting on July 17.
Europe Head-to-Head: Can Europe Rival the United States and China?
Rosa Balfour, Noah Barkin, and Anu Bradford discuss whether Europe can compete with the United States and China. By Rosa Balfour, Noah Barkin, Anu Bradford Subscribe on Project Moving beyond rhetoric that calls for Brussels to face its challenges, the Europe Head-to-Head project proposes a continent-wide debate on what the EU must do to meet the moment, navigating the increasingly difficult global landscape to deliver for its citizens.
Can Europe Compete with the United States and China?
Project Moving beyond rhetoric that calls for Brussels to face its challenges, the Europe Head-to-Head project proposes a continent-wide debate on what the EU must do to meet the moment, navigating the increasingly difficult global landscape to deliver for its citizens.
Trump administration invokes emergency powers to restart oil operations off California coast
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Friday took action to hit back at two of the Trump administration’s top antagonists: oil supply disruptions brought on by the war in Iran and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Wright issued an order paving the way for a company operating off the California coast to restart an oil pipeline that state officials have kept offline since 2015.
Watching China in Europe - March 2026
Deconstructing the Merz trip to China - the good, the bad and the ugly Watching China in Europe has been a free publication for more than half a decade.
China floats FTA ahead of Merz visit
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz & Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meet at the Munich Security Conference on February 14 (AFP) China is pressing Germany to support the idea of a free trade agreement between the European Union and China when Chancellor Friedrich Merz makes his first visit to Beijing next week. There are no signs that Merz will accede to the Chinese request, which German officials believe comes from the very top of the Chinese leadership.
China to lift sanctions that sunk the CAI
Starting off my life on Substack with some interesting news… I understand from multiple sources that China may be preparing to lift its sanctions on members of the European Parliament (MEPs) as early as next week. The sanctions were imposed in March 2021 in response to the EU’s decision to impose sanctions on Chinese entities for human rights violations in Xinjiang.
China-Europe trade truce looms as Trump fumbles transatlantic ties - The Washington Post
Noah Barkin is a senior adviser at Rhodium Group and a visiting senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, based in Berlin. Over the past months, the Trump administration has intervened in European elections, threatened to seize Greenland and imposed crushing tariffs on the European Union. Now it wants to talk with Europe about containing China.
Opinion | Trump is pushing Europe and China into each other’s arms
9 hours ago The classic kids’ game teaches a lesson about public health that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has failed to learn. A sudden and mysterious outbreak of communicable disease began recently in my apartment building in Manhattan. Three 7-year-olds, a boy and two girls, were sharing the elevator one day with a …
Europe Between a Rock and a Hard Place
The first months of US President Donald Trump’s second administration have unfolded like a horror movie for Europe. Just when it looks like the massacre might be over, the orange-tinted villain and his zombie minions rise up again and wreak more havoc. In the span of a few weeks, Trump and his team have shown they are prepared to throw Ukraine under the bus and, in the words of Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio, embrace the “incredible opportunities” offered by Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Angela Merkel’s Blind Spot on China
Germany is suffering from an acute case of China shock. After decades supplying a rising China with cars, machine tools and technological know-how — and reaping billions of euros in profits in the process — German companies are now struggling to compete with Chinese rivals that produce at lower cost, are more innovative, and have the backing of the powerful Chinese state.
Chinese Aggression in the Taiwan Strait
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Olaf Scholz Is on a Telltale China Trip
Foreign & Public Diplomacy Europe After years of speaking softly and carrying a small stick, the European Union has begun flexing its economic muscles with China, concerned that an influx of cheap Chinese products could kill off homegrown industries. The big question is whether Germany, the bloc’s biggest economy, is fully on board with the more assertive approach.
Treffen von Biden und Xi in San Francisco: Diese drei Themen müssen sie dringend besprechen
© AFP/SAUL LOEB Am Mittwoch treffen sich US-Präsident Joe Biden und Chinas Staatschef Xi Jinping Gesprächen: Kommt auf die Eiszeit das Tauwetter? Heute, 10:41 Uhr Es ist ein klarer Beweis für den schwierigen Zustand der Beziehungen zwischen den USA und China: Wenn die Präsidenten Joe Biden und Xi Jinping Mitte dieser Woche auf dem Apec-Gipfel in San Francisco zusammenkommen, so ist dies das zweite persönliche Zusammentreffen in drei Jahren.
The U.S. and Europe Need to Get Their Act Together on China
When he talks about the transatlantic relationship, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck likes to recount a conversation he had last year with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, after the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was unveiled. When he talks about the transatlantic relationship, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck likes to recount a conversation he had last year with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, after the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was unveiled.
Olaf Scholz Has to Deal With Germany's New Consensus on China
When the Angela Merkel era ended in late 2021, and a new German government took power and promised to overhaul Berlin’s policy toward China, there were good reasons to be skeptical. New Chancellor Olaf Scholz had promised foreign-policy continuity during the election campaign. And his Social Democrats, the largest party in a three-way coalition with the Greens and Free Democrats, had a history of putting business über alles when dealing with authoritarian states such as China and Russia.
US-Außenminister in China: Der letzte Besuch war eine Katastrophe - und auch jetzt steht viel auf dem Spiel
Noah Barkin ist Geschäftsführender Redakteur für China bei der Rhodium Group, die Forschung und Datenanalysen zu globalen Trends anbietet, und Visiting Senior Fellow beim German Marshall Fund (GMF). Lesen Sie weiter mit Tagesspiegel Plus Nie waren verlässliche Informationen wichtiger Stark werbereduziert in der Tagesspiegel App Exklusive Inhalte für Tagesspiegel Plus-Leser Ohne Risiko: Jederzeit kündbar Schon Digital-Abonnent? Hier anmelden
La disyuntiva de Europa sobre China
En las últimas semanas, dos de las figuras políticas más destacadas de la Unión Europea han expuesto visiones divergentes sobre cómo debe enfocar el continente su relación con China. Esto no es necesariamente malo. Con demasiada frecuencia, en los últimos años, el debate europeo sobre la política hacia China se ha visto coartado por políticos reacios a decir en público lo que realmente pensaban.
La disyuntiva de Europa sobre China
En las últimas semanas, dos de las figuras políticas más destacadas de la Unión Europea han expuesto visiones divergentes sobre cómo debe enfocar el continente su relación con China. Esto no es necesariamente malo. Con demasiada frecuencia, en los últimos años, el debate europeo sobre la política hacia China se ha visto coartado por políticos reacios a decir en público lo que realmente pensaban.
Europe’s Delicate Balancing Act
European capitals are looking on with a growing sense of unease as relations between the United States and China veer from bad to worse. At the turn of the year, their hope had been that Washington and Beijing would find a way to lower the diplomatic temperature in 2023, establish a regular dialogue, and reduce the risks of a conflict. That was the signal sent by a cordial meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping at the G20 meeting in Indonesia last November.
Analysis: Don’t underestimate Germany’s new anti-euro party
BERLIN (Reuters) – The political establishment has dismissed Germany’s new anti-euro party as a fear-mongering populist aberration that could implode even before a looming federal election. But the first congress of the “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) showed that the movement, launched only a few months ago by a group of renegade academics, journalists and businessmen, is striking a chord with voters and may prove an influential force come September.
Chinesischer Ballon über den USA: Zwischenfälle dieser Art könnten sich zu etwas viel Größerem ausweiten
Noah Barkin ist Geschäftsführender Redakteur für China bei der Rhodium Group, einer geopolitischen Forschungs- und Beratungsfirma, sowie Visiting Senior Fellow beim German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). Lesen Sie weiter mit Tagesspiegel Plus Nie waren verlässliche Informationen wichtiger Stark werbereduziert in der Tagesspiegel App Exklusive Inhalte für Tagesspiegel Plus-Leser Ohne Risiko: Jederzeit kündbar Schon Digital-Abonnent? Hier anmelden
China und die USA: Das Vertrauen sinkt, die Spannung steigt
Noah Barkin ist Geschäftsführender Redakteur für China bei der Rhodium Group, einer geopolitischen Forschungs- und Beratungsfirma, sowie Visiting Senior Fellow beim German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). Lesen Sie weiter mit Tagesspiegel Plus Nie waren verlässliche Informationen wichtiger Stark werbereduziert in der Tagesspiegel App Exklusive Inhalte für Tagesspiegel Plus-Leser Ohne Risiko: Jederzeit kündbar Schon Digital-Abonnent? Hier anmelden
What to Expect of Europe-China Relations in 2023
2022 brought about a number of developments in Europe-China relations. While there was continued convergence between European and U.S. policy on China, there are still areas of disagreement when it comes to Beijing. What should we expect for Europe’s relationship with China heading into 2023? Noah Barkin and Mikko Huotari join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Carisa Nietsche to discuss the state of Europe-China relations and the outlook for the year ahead.
Watching China in Europe - October 2022
Articles Watching China in Europe - October 2022 Noah Barkin is an astute observer of German politics and his pessimism of Berlin is disturbing. Wednesday, October 5, 2022 0 min read By: Noah Barkin,
TTC, IPEF, and the road to an Indo-Pacific trade deal: A new model
China Economy & Business European Union Indo-Pacific Trade United Kingdom United States and Canada TTC, IPEF, and the road to an Indo-Pacific trade deal: A new model After nearly two years of uncertainty and speculation, the Biden administration’s “trade policy for the middle class” is taking shape.
The Chosen Few: A Fresh Look at European FDI in China
After decades in which China felt like a one way bet for European firms, market conditions have become far more challenging due to restrictive COVID-19 policies, slowing economic growth and rising geopolitical tensions. Against this increasingly uncertain backdrop, we have taken a close look at European (EU+UK) FDI in China to assess the current state of investment on the ground, and shed light on how it has evolved over the past decade.
O gigante adormecido da Europa desperta, por Noah Barkin
A política em Berlim passou por um cataclismo que ninguém esperava. Gasoduto Russo-Alemão do The Atlantic O gigante adormecido da Europa desperta Por Noah Barkin No final do ano passado, quando Angela Merkel ainda era chanceler alemã, perguntei a uma das mais astutas pensadoras de política externa de seu governo sobre a preocupante dependência do país de poderes autoritários e a relutância de sua classe política em reconsiderar essas relações.
Europe’s Sleeping Giant Awakens
Late last year, when Angela Merkel was still German chancellor, I asked one of the most astute foreign-policy thinkers in her government about the country’s worrying dependence on authoritarian powers and the reluctance of its political class to reconsider these relationships. At the time, Berlin was poised to inaugurate a new gas pipeline from Russia, and Germany’s biggest companies were announcing major new investments in China.
The path forward on the US-China technology competition
China Defense Technologies Digital Policy Economy & Business Fiscal and Structural Reform Macroeconomics Technology & Innovation United States and Canada February 17, 2022 • 8:57 am ET The path forward on the US-China technology competition Clete R. Willems U.S. policymakers are currently facing key economic choices that will significantly shape the outcome of the U.S. – China technology competition.
Transatlantic tools: Harmonizing US and EU approaches to China
China Economic Sanctions European Union Financial Regulation Human Rights International Markets Trade United States and Canada November 30, 2021 Transatlantic tools: Harmonizing US and EU approaches to China Noah Barkin and Agatha Kratz Close cooperation between the United States and the European Union is essential if advanced economies are to develop effective responses to the array of challenges presented by China.
Germany Can Learn From Japan's China Strategy
One of the biggest foreign-policy challenges for a new German government will be to find the right balance among economic priorities, national security interests, and the defense of democratic values in its relationship with China. In doing so, Germany can learn a lot from Japan, another country with deep economic ties to China that has grown increasingly wary of Beijing’s authoritarian shift at home and growing assertiveness abroad under Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Berlin and Beijing: German China Policy After Merkel
The German election on September 26 has significant implications for Berlin’s policy towards Beijing and the broader international effort to address the geopolitical challenges presented by China’s rise. Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose pro-engagement policy towards China has shaped Europe’s approach for more than a decade and a half, will step aside, opening the door to what could be a shift in Germany’s stance.
AICGS Asks: What is Angela Merkel’s legacy on engagement with China?
Andrew Small The German Marshall Fund of the United States Andrew Small is a senior transatlantic fellow with GMF's Asia Program, which he established in 2006. His research focuses on U.S.–China relations, Europe–China relations, Chinese policy in South Asia, and broader developments in China's foreign and economic policy.
Change Drivers
Last December, when Chancellor Angela Merkel was pushing the European Union to conclude an investment deal with China, forceful pushback came from only one political party in Germany—the Greens. In a rare moment of drama in the Bundestag, Greens lawmaker Margarete Bause pressed Merkel to explain her hurried push for the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) at a time when China was suppressing the Uighurs in Xinjiang and crushing democracy in Hong Kong.
Understanding the EU and China's Comprehensive Investment Agreement, with Noah Barkin
Noah Barkin joins Carisa Nietsche and Jim Townsend to discuss the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), the new investment agreement between China and the European Union, and its implications for the future of the transatlantic alliance. Barkin is a senior visiting fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, managing editor in the China practice at the Rhodium Group, and former bureau chief for Reuters.
Armin Laschet Is Merkel's Most Likely Successor. Is He Too Gemütlich?
For anyone hoping for a decisive break from the strategic ambiguity of the Angela Merkel era, the election of Armin Laschet this past weekend to lead her party into the next German election was a disappointment.
What Merkel Really Thinks About China-and the World
Last year, I asked a diplomat who had worked closely with Angela Merkel for many years to sum up the German leader’s views on China. I was expecting to hear a list of concerns about the country’s authoritarian tilt under Xi Jinping, the plight of the Uighurs, and the role of the state in the Chinese economy.
EU debt crisis: German bond sale 'a disaster'
A new and ugly chapter opened in Europe today with the worst auction of German bonds since the launch of the euro, sparking fears the debt crisis was beginning to threaten even Berlin Author of the article: Reuters Publishing date: Nov 23, 2011 • • 5 minute read Reuters Article content By Stephen Brown and Noah Barkin BERLIN — A “disastrous” German bond sale on Wednesday sparked fears that Europe’s debt crisis was even beginning to threaten Berlin, with the leaders of the eurozone’s two...
Building Transatlantic Unity on China, with Noah Barkin and Peter Chase
Noah Barkin and Peter Chase join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss prospects for greater U.S.-Europe cooperation on China under the next administration.
Five Keys to a Transatlantic Agenda on China
Can the United States and Europe get on the same page in responding to China? With the US election looming and China seen as a growing threat to the interests of liberal democracies, European officials are reassessing prospects for transatlantic cooperation after years in which the Trump administration’s disdain for the European Union and international coalition-building prevented meaningful cooperation. Candidate Joe Biden has vowed to repair ties with allies and work more closely on China.
Europe and China’s ‘Virtual Summit’
Angela Merkel had hoped to use the German presidency of the EU to host an historic EU-China Summit this month in Leipzig, with Xi Jinping and 27 European heads of state in attendance. Thanks to COVID, the virtual meeting that took place this week was a far less grand affair. But given a thorny agenda and the backdrop of Europe’s rapidly deteriorating public opinion of China, the less-flashy format perhaps better suited the moment.
Merkel seen as key to EU summit success
Dec 14, 2005 By Noah Barkin Berlin - German Chancellor Angela Merkel took office in November vowing closer ties with Britain, a less exclusive relationship with France and more consideration for new eastern EU states. Now those promises are set to be tested. Merkel joins other leaders in Brussels on Thursday for her first European Union summit since taking over from Gerhard Schroeder. At stake is a long-term budget for the bloc and the EU's credibility following a string of damaging setbacks.
Top MEP slams Volkswagen as ‘complicit’ in Chinese oppression
The chair of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with China, Reinhard Bütikofer, has slammed Volkswagen for not confronting China over its treatment of the Uighur minority in a region where the German carmaker has a factory. China's crackdown on the Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang is rapidly rising up the political and trade agenda.
Can the VA Keep Its Rooms Clean During the Pandemic?
The VA’s federal watchdog has uncovered filthy conditions at facilities across the country. Yet some 40 percent of all VA hospitals recently suffered from severe shortages of housekeeping staff. Jasper Craven July 4, 2020 Craig F. Walker / The Boston Globe / Getty On a warm November day in 2017, Representative Mark Takano, a California Democrat, met with a whistleblower who had serious concerns about the 270-bed Veterans Affairs facility in Loma Linda.
Losing Europe
In the growing confrontation with China, Europe is starting to take sides—just not America’s. Read Full Article »
In the Post-Pandemic Cold War With China, America Is Losing Europe
DON'T LOSE ACCESS: Your IP access to ForeignPolicy.com will expire on June 15. To ensure uninterrupted reading, please contact Rachel Mines, sales director, at rachel.mines@foreignpolicy.com. Argument In the growing confrontation with China, Europe is starting to take sides—just not America’s. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the first session of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017.
Germany’s Strategic Gray Zone With China
Without the transatlantic relationship, former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger once said, Europe would be at the mercy of China, a mere “appendage” of Eurasia. This bleak notion is weighing heavily on the minds of German officials as they contemplate their country’s place in a world of escalating U.S.-China competition.
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