Europe is squeezed between a hungry China and surly US | Simon Tisdall
(The Guardian China)

With Merkel on the way out, who can keep the union intact as Beijing´s influence grows and the White House´s hostility rises?The idea of Xi Jinping as a modern-day Odysseus seems a little far-fetched. But China´s globetrotting president proved a match for Homer´s hero last week when he trundled a Trojan horse deep inside the EU city gates - with an enthusiastic helping push from the Greeks. It was a classical, even epic, piece of opportunism.Xi´s visit to Athens marked a breakthrough moment in China´s decades-long siege of Europe´s markets. A series of deals will raise its investment in Greece to around EUR2.5bn. More significantly, Xi expanded Beijing´s foothold in the strategic port of Piraeus, from whence a rising tide of Chinese imports flow into the EU. Continue reading...