3⃣⚠️ The EU’s most potent economic defence tools go unused, underscoring its lack of genuine strategic autonomy.

2⃣⚠️ The EU’s overdependence on China leaves it little choice but to tread carefully, relying on diplomacy rather than economic statecraft, even when Beijing plays by its own rules.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1⃣⚠️ The truce between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump highlights the bloc’s vulnerability to the will of these two strongmen.

3️⃣💡 Trump’s tariff volatility has accelerated negotiations, and Malaysia’s existing ties will test whether Europe’s “de-risking” strategy can succeed with Chinese trading partners.

2️⃣💡 Malaysia needs European technology partnerships and market access to realize its €4.5 billion semiconductor strategy and move beyond assembly toward chip design and fabrication.

1️⃣💡 Talks over an EU-Malaysia FTA, stalled since 2012 over palm oil, have been revived as both sides urgently seek to diversify trade amid US-China tensions.

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🔍 Explore our academic tracker and read the full UK-China 🇬🇧🇨🇳 analysis here: ceias.eu/united-kingd...

2/2 They interviewed Paola about the EU's Indo-Pacific policies, particularly in Southeast Asia, and presented our policy recommendations. 📊

Thank you for the insightful discussion!

4⃣ Takaichi’s Europe policy extends her broader security agenda: firm on Russia, supportive of Ukraine, and geared toward deeper defense and tech cooperation with the EU. This pragmatically embeds Japan in Europe’s security networks while advancing shared Indo-Pacific goals.

3⃣ Her assertive agenda promises greater visibility & confidence for 🇯🇵, but it also risks regional friction, economic strain, & domestic division. Whether her leadership delivers lasting stability or renewed tension will define her legacy & 🗾’s trajectory in the decade ahead.

2⃣ Early diplomacy with Donald Trump and her cabinet choices signal that the Japan–US alliance remains the cornerstone of her foreign policy, while economic and defense commitments underscore Japan’s bet on Washington, even at significant fiscal cost.

1⃣ Despite her reputation as a staunch nationalist, newly-appointed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s posture so far has been restrained and pragmatic, while still hardline on key geopolitical issues.

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➡️ Indonesia and Vietnam explicitly include Russia in their #hedging strategies, pursuing independent foreign policies to strengthen their international standing.

5/5 At that moment, 🇨🇳's coercive retaliation against 🇱🇹 stopped being a bilateral conflict between the 2 countries, and morphed into a broader issue, which challenged one of the fundamental principles on which 🇪🇺 is built: free movement of goods between member states," he said.