Noah Barkin
@noahbarkin.bsky.social
Watching 🇪🇺 🇨🇳 🇺🇸 for Rhodium Group & GMF in Berlin. Sign up for my monthly newsletter (https://www.gmfus.org/watching-china-europe) and Substack (noahbarkin.substack.com)
RIP Jimmy Cliff. Not sure I would have survived high school without The Harder They Come
www.reuters.com/business/med...
www.reuters.com/business/med...
November 24, 2025 at 2:54 PM
RIP Jimmy Cliff. Not sure I would have survived high school without The Harder They Come
www.reuters.com/business/med...
www.reuters.com/business/med...
Germany's national security council discussed ... Ukraine. Thanks
November 24, 2025 at 5:48 AM
Germany's national security council discussed ... Ukraine. Thanks
A movie that takes place where you're from
November 24, 2025 at 5:19 AM
A movie that takes place where you're from
You wouldn’t guess that Germany is being crushed by China on all fronts from these photos
November 21, 2025 at 11:09 AM
You wouldn’t guess that Germany is being crushed by China on all fronts from these photos
November 19, 2025 at 4:22 PM
The Dutch government suspends its invocation of the Goods
Availability Act for Nexperia: “We are positive about the measures already taken by the Chinese authorities to ensure the supply of chips to Europe and the rest of the world. We see this as a show of goodwill.”
Availability Act for Nexperia: “We are positive about the measures already taken by the Chinese authorities to ensure the supply of chips to Europe and the rest of the world. We see this as a show of goodwill.”
November 19, 2025 at 8:54 AM
The Dutch government suspends its invocation of the Goods
Availability Act for Nexperia: “We are positive about the measures already taken by the Chinese authorities to ensure the supply of chips to Europe and the rest of the world. We see this as a show of goodwill.”
Availability Act for Nexperia: “We are positive about the measures already taken by the Chinese authorities to ensure the supply of chips to Europe and the rest of the world. We see this as a show of goodwill.”
This Rhodium timeline of the Nexperia saga shows how CEO Zhang Xuezheng set about creating a China-based mirror image of the company almost as soon as he took the reins
November 19, 2025 at 6:39 AM
This Rhodium timeline of the Nexperia saga shows how CEO Zhang Xuezheng set about creating a China-based mirror image of the company almost as soon as he took the reins
Statement from German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil before his departure for China ticks the right boxes:
✅ Rare earths
✅ Overcapacities
✅ Russia/Ukraine
But dialogue with China has not led to “solutions” as he states here for years. So Germany should be clear-eyed on what that can deliver
✅ Rare earths
✅ Overcapacities
✅ Russia/Ukraine
But dialogue with China has not led to “solutions” as he states here for years. So Germany should be clear-eyed on what that can deliver
November 16, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Statement from German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil before his departure for China ticks the right boxes:
✅ Rare earths
✅ Overcapacities
✅ Russia/Ukraine
But dialogue with China has not led to “solutions” as he states here for years. So Germany should be clear-eyed on what that can deliver
✅ Rare earths
✅ Overcapacities
✅ Russia/Ukraine
But dialogue with China has not led to “solutions” as he states here for years. So Germany should be clear-eyed on what that can deliver
New statement on Nexperia from the Dutch: they are monitoring chip flows and will send officials to Beijing next week
November 13, 2025 at 9:46 AM
New statement on Nexperia from the Dutch: they are monitoring chip flows and will send officials to Beijing next week
November 10, 2025 at 7:09 PM
A day after Taiwan’s Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim spoke in the European Parliament, former President Tsai Ing-wen heads to Germany
November 8, 2025 at 3:09 PM
A day after Taiwan’s Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim spoke in the European Parliament, former President Tsai Ing-wen heads to Germany
They’re gettin nervous
November 7, 2025 at 4:45 PM
They’re gettin nervous
The US fact sheet on the Trump-Xi deal says:
- China will issue general licenses for rare earths, gallium, germanium, antimony & graphite
- China’s controls will be removed for the benefit of US end users
- This means the de-facto removal of April 2025 controls
www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
- China will issue general licenses for rare earths, gallium, germanium, antimony & graphite
- China’s controls will be removed for the benefit of US end users
- This means the de-facto removal of April 2025 controls
www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
November 2, 2025 at 7:57 AM
The US fact sheet on the Trump-Xi deal says:
- China will issue general licenses for rare earths, gallium, germanium, antimony & graphite
- China’s controls will be removed for the benefit of US end users
- This means the de-facto removal of April 2025 controls
www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
- China will issue general licenses for rare earths, gallium, germanium, antimony & graphite
- China’s controls will be removed for the benefit of US end users
- This means the de-facto removal of April 2025 controls
www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
During the US government shutdown, Trump has been busy transforming White House bathrooms into gaudy marble horrors. Who puts a chandelier in a bathroom?
November 1, 2025 at 10:19 AM
During the US government shutdown, Trump has been busy transforming White House bathrooms into gaudy marble horrors. Who puts a chandelier in a bathroom?
It would be nice if the White House press corps focused on bigger things than clickbait headlines
October 27, 2025 at 10:31 AM
It would be nice if the White House press corps focused on bigger things than clickbait headlines
This exchange on The Daily podcast sums up how the New York Times bends over backward to tell both sides of every story about Trump, and in so doing undermines its own journalistic credibility
podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/t...
October 26, 2025 at 6:47 AM
This exchange on The Daily podcast sums up how the New York Times bends over backward to tell both sides of every story about Trump, and in so doing undermines its own journalistic credibility
podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/t...
The US Chamber of Commerce urges the Supreme Court to reject the “untenable invocation of IEEPA” by the Trump administration
www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...
www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...
October 26, 2025 at 5:49 AM
The US Chamber of Commerce urges the Supreme Court to reject the “untenable invocation of IEEPA” by the Trump administration
www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...
www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...
We’re back where we were in February - despite all the painstaking diplomacy by Zelensky and European leaders. In the end, Trump always gravitates back to Putin’s nihilistic views on Ukraine.
on.ft.com/3WMSQSu
on.ft.com/3WMSQSu
October 20, 2025 at 4:04 AM
We’re back where we were in February - despite all the painstaking diplomacy by Zelensky and European leaders. In the end, Trump always gravitates back to Putin’s nihilistic views on Ukraine.
on.ft.com/3WMSQSu
on.ft.com/3WMSQSu
Trump described his meeting with Putin in Alaska as “extremely productive”. The real story below
on.ft.com/4nekfHY
on.ft.com/4nekfHY
October 17, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Trump described his meeting with Putin in Alaska as “extremely productive”. The real story below
on.ft.com/4nekfHY
on.ft.com/4nekfHY
German parochialism on display: Berlin’s position on an ICE ban is being held hostage to CSU fears about next year’s local elections in Bavaria.
www.politico.eu/newsletter/b...
www.politico.eu/newsletter/b...
October 16, 2025 at 5:37 AM
German parochialism on display: Berlin’s position on an ICE ban is being held hostage to CSU fears about next year’s local elections in Bavaria.
www.politico.eu/newsletter/b...
www.politico.eu/newsletter/b...
Sometimes a picture says it all…
October 13, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Sometimes a picture says it all…
EU ambassador to China Jorge Toledo: China always asks us to respect their red lines (Taiwan). But they don’t seem to pay any heed to our red lines (support for Russia) #clingendael
October 9, 2025 at 7:38 AM
EU ambassador to China Jorge Toledo: China always asks us to respect their red lines (Taiwan). But they don’t seem to pay any heed to our red lines (support for Russia) #clingendael
Söder exemplifies much of what has been wrong with Germany for decades
October 3, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Söder exemplifies much of what has been wrong with Germany for decades
The US Army’s former commanding general in Europe likens Hegseth’s plan to summon top military brass from around the world for a meeting in Virginia next week to a Nazi-era pressure campaign to force German generals to swear allegiance to Hitler
September 27, 2025 at 5:41 AM
The US Army’s former commanding general in Europe likens Hegseth’s plan to summon top military brass from around the world for a meeting in Virginia next week to a Nazi-era pressure campaign to force German generals to swear allegiance to Hitler