Noah Barkin
@noahbarkin
Watching 🇪🇺 🇨🇳 🇺🇸 from Berlin. Try my newsletter: noahbarkin.substack.com
How close would this be without tens of millions of dollars in AIPAC money propping up Stevens I wonder
Volkswagen getting crushed in China: Q2 deliveries down 36.6% and operating profit from Chinese JVs could be close to zero in H2 2026 uploads.vw-mms.de/system/produ...
It is also my experience that Americans (from across the political spectrum) do not appreciate the depth and durability of the rupture that Trump’s trade war, threats to seize the territory of partners, and senseless war in Iran have caused. There is no going back. www.ft.com/content/23a2...
France & Germany set out last month to put together a joint paper on trade policy towards China. They were unable to do so because of intransigence from the German Economy Ministry, I was told. Instead we got this👇🏼 cvd.bundesregierung.de/resource/blo...
This sums it up nicely. Are Americans paying attention? www.nytimes.com/2026/07/13/u...
Besides supporting the Iraq war, the Iran war, the US seizure of Greenland and a cynical blockade of Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Graham’s legacy (and moral compass) is summed up here www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/u...
BMW sales in China plunged 30% in the second quarter. The US and Europe, by contrast, showed gains www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
The unifying trait among Trump sycophants (besides a lust for money and power) is a deep resentment of elites that never fully accepted them. www.ft.com/content/8f24...
I disagree that the non-market economy issue is irrelevant. it’s also hard to make the argument that European market penetration is not changing much.
The USA at 250: A woman sits on a metro train in DC surrounded by members of the Patriot Front, an ultranationalist group that wants to create a white ethno-state in the US. www.ft.com/content/e197...
Some comments for the @nzz.ch on Europe's de-risking challenge with China www.nzz.ch/internationa...
Days after EU leaders came together in Brussels to discuss a major shift in China policy, Chancellor Friedrich Merz gives a 25 minute speech at the biggest industry conference of the year and doesn't mention China once
The Republicans in the House Foreign Affairs Committee don’t seem to know how to spell Colombia
Belgium PM De Wever showing Spanish PM Sanchez what he thinks of his China policy
Important story: the German government funnels tens of millions of euros per year to the CISPA research center in Saarland which works closely with Chinese researchers from PLA-linked institutions on sensitive cybersecurity issues. Merz himself seems to approve👇🏼 www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deut...
Merz says Europe cannot accept when fair competition is distorted by high subsidies across entire sectors which flood other markets. He points to imbalance between Chinese demand and production. And on top of that an undervalued currency.
Merz says the European Commission will present plans for new trade instruments at the next European Council in October. He repeats concerns about China's currency being undervalued by up to 30 percent, and points to Plaza Accords as model for dealing with this.
Smart piece from @ajwsmall.bsky.social @ecfr.eu on how the EU can respond to China with "swarm" strategy built around 6 conditions for market access ecfr.eu/publication/...
Odd: Der Spiegel likens extreme-left French politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon to Sahra Wagenknecht in Germany (okay) and … Bernie Sanders in the US (not okay), based on their “radical economic populism”. Sanders would be centrist Social Democrat in Europe
Leading CDU and AfD politicians in Saxony-Anhalt looking like BFFs #Brandmauer? (Fotograf: Christian Schroedter)
The US plans to significantly reduce the aircraft and warships it makes available for NATO operations in Europe, limiting the alliance’s ability to launch long-range strikes and conduct surveillance, the New York Times reports www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/w...
The deal Trump says he had with Iran is going the way of all the previous deals he said he had with Iran: down the toilet
Full Merz quotes in the Bundestag below. He is signaling that he wants to use the leverage of the European market to enforce free and fair trade. This looks like a clear signal that Germany is on board for tougher measures against China. But the details will matter
Important signal from Merz: He says in Bundestag speech that Europe can't stand idly by when other countries are not sticking to trade rules. He says Europe will protect its industry against distortive policies