Newsletter: A medley of middle powers

Good morning. Angela Skujins here, your nonmigratory Australian writer moving astatine Euronews, serving up a meal newsletter centred connected the evolving authorities of superpowers and however mediate powers tin accommodate to them.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump volition cogwheel up for his archetypal sojourn to China successful 9 years, holding tribunal with President Xi Jinping. Talks are expected to screen the warfare successful Iran, commercialized tensions and Taiwan – with promises of pomp.

The highly anticipated sojourn betwixt the world’s 2 largest economies – their narration accounted for astir 44% of the planetary GDP successful 2025 – is simply a hopeful one.

Despite Trump’s weakened hand, Stefan Grobe writes the Republican person is angling for a commercialized woody and imaginable ascent down from now-frozen triple digit tariffs.

With Trump’s 2nd word successful powerfulness dominated by commercialized spats, annexationist rhetoric and conflict, smaller nations are weighing alternatives.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney argued astatine Davos successful January that the satellite should not beryllium tally by “hegemons”. Instead, the world’s mediate nations that adhere to a rules-based bid should travel unneurotic and signifier like-minded coalitions.

Enter the Northern Hemisphere state itself, arsenic good arsenic a further flung federation – Australia.

Canada’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Anita Anand told Euronews that Ottawa's increasing ties with the EU and different partners – arsenic emblematic of the 20 security, defence and economical agreements minted successful the past twelvemonth – is “not conscionable a argumentation response” to Trump's tariff hammer.

The Canada-EU narration “will basal the trial of time”, Anand said. “What I judge we should beryllium looking astatine is however we tin enactment unneurotic pragmatically for our respective countries to present economical benefits and defence and information benefits,” the 59-year-old said.

The overseas minister’s comments came a week aft Canada made past arsenic the archetypal non-European state to enactment successful a European Political Community (EPC) acme successful Yerevan, Armenia.

At the EPC, Carney said Europe would not taxable to an “insular and brutal world” – and could alternatively service arsenic a basal from which a caller planetary bid could beryllium rebuilt. “We are precise enthusiastic astir continuing to enactment with Europe, with like-minded countries,” Anand said of the gathering. Enter Canberra.

In March 2026, betwixt holding koalas and feeding kangaroos, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shook hands with the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to clinch a escaped commercialized agreement.

The statement aims to region implicit 99% of tariffs connected EU goods and boost different avenues of cooperation, specified arsenic defence. The pact volition prevention the EU €1 cardinal a twelvemonth successful duties, the Commission said, with exports projected to ascent arsenic overmuch arsenic 33% implicit the adjacent decade.

Australia's Ambassador to the EU and NATO Angus Campbell conscionable told Europe Today that Australia has a “constructive” and “very important commercialized narration with China” – but that Australia’s occurrence relies connected divers partnerships.

“Australia trades into North America, into ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), to South Asia, to North Asia and into Europe,” helium said.

“We're an land continent babelike connected planetary trade, connected the rules of commercialized and escaped commercialized agreements substance due to the fact that they alteration the prosperity for all.” Watch.

So arsenic Trump’s sojourn to Beijing begins to whip up attraction – with reports of talks, a banquet, and a sojourn to a spiritual tract frequented by Ming and Qing dynasty emperors praying for a bountiful harvest – each eyes volition beryllium connected the Chinese superior and however mediate powers tin slot themselves into what comes retired of it.

EU could suggest societal media prohibition for children this summer, von der Leyen says

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said connected Tuesday the EU could suggest a bloc-wide societal media prohibition for children arsenic aboriginal arsenic this summer, amid mounting unit from subordinate states to fortify online protections for minors.

As Luca Bertuzzi reports, enactment for stricter controls has grown successful caller months, with France, Spain, Greece and Denmark starring calls for measures to shield children from what governments picture arsenic addictive online platforms.

“We are witnessing the lightning velocity astatine which exertion is advancing – and however it penetrates each country of puerility and adolescence,” von der Leyen told delegates astatine the European Summit connected Artificial Intelligence and Children successful Copenhagen.

Several EU countries are already pursuing nationalist legislation, though Brussels has faced unit to support a harmonised attack crossed the bloc’s azygous market.

More from our newsrooms

EU countries backmost suspension of backing for the Venice Biennale implicit Russian participation

Fourteen retired of 27 EU subordinate states criticised the reopening of the Russian pavilion astatine the Venice Biennale, which sparked a fierce contention successful Italy, arsenic Brussels called for a suspension of funding. Vincenzo Genovese has the latest.

General onslaught successful Belgium against authorities reforms draws tens of thousands to the capital

Between 40,000 and 70,000 radical marched done the streets of Brussels connected Tuesday. The demonstrators gathered astatine the telephone of the country’s 3 main commercialized unions to denounce the national government’s reforms, which the commercialized unions see to beryllium "anti-social". Gregoire Lory breaks down the placards and the protests.

Interviews with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur and Australia’s ambassador to Belgium and NATO Angus Campbell.

We're besides keeping an oculus on

• European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto and European Commissioner for Transport Apostolos Tzitzikostas volition contiguous the Commission's rider bundle for Europeans astatine midday from Brussels, Belgium.
• European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib volition talk connected the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Ban connected conversion practices successful the European Union’ astatine 2:30 p.m. successful Brussels, Belgium.