BEIJING — China’s foreign minister has pressed the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to conclude long-running talks on a free trade agreement (FTA) with China, attributing the urgency to rising protectionism and unilateralism as free trade comes “under attack,” according to a Monday statement from the ministry.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on a three-nation tour in the Middle East that began in the United Arab Emirates and is expected to end in Jordan. He met GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi in Riyadh on Sunday, when he also met top Saudi officials separately.

“The talks have lasted for more than 20 years, and conditions for all aspects are basically mature, it is time to make a final decision,” he said during a meeting with Mr. Albudaiwi, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

A successful FTA will send a “strong signal to the world about defending multilateralism,” Mr. Wang said, adding that China was supportive of the bloc strengthening its strategic autonomy and coordination, and advancing its integration process.

China has interests in deepening cooperation in economy, trade, investment and other fields with the GCC as well, Mr. Wang said.

CLOSER COORDINATION WITH SAUDI
China and Saudi Arabia agreed to closer communication and coordination on regional and international issues, with Beijing lauding Riyadh’s role in Middle East diplomacy and security, other statements following a meeting between the nations’ foreign ministers showed.

Mr. Wang’s meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud also took place on Sunday in the Saudi capital.

A joint statement published by China’s official news agency Xinhua did not elaborate on the issues where the two countries would strengthen coordination but mentioned China’s support for Saudi Arabia and Iran enhancing their relations as well as support from both sides for the “comprehensive and just settlement” of the Palestinian issue.

“(China) appreciates Saudi Arabia’s leading role and efforts to achieve regional and international security and stability,” said the statement released on Monday.

Mr. Wang told his Saudi counterpart that China regarded Saudi Arabia as a “priority for Middle East diplomacy” and an important partner in global diplomacy, a Chinese foreign ministry statement on Monday said.

He also encouraged more cooperation in energy and investments, as well as in the fields of new energy and green transformation.

In a separate meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Mr. Wang underscored China’s readiness to play a part as the “most reliable partner” in the Middle Eastern country’s revitalization, as well as “inject more stabilizing factors” to realize peace and security in the region, another foreign ministry statement showed.

The countries have agreed to mutually exempt visas for diplomatic and special passport holders from both sides, according to the joint statement. — Reuters

HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s High Court on Monday found tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai guilty of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces in the city’s highest-profile trial under a China-imposed national security law that could see him jailed for life.

The landmark case has drawn international scrutiny of Hong Kong’s judicial independence amid a years-long crackdown on rights and freedoms in the global financial hub after 2019 pro-democracy protests that Beijing saw as a challenge to its rule.

While 78-year-old Mr. Lai’s supporters see him as a freedom fighter, Beijing sees him as a mastermind of the protests and a conspirator advocating for US sanctions against Hong Kong and the mainland. Chinese authorities have rejected accusations of eroding the city’s rule of law.

“There is no doubt” that Mr. Lai “had harbored his resentment and hatred of” China for many of his adult years, Judge Esther Toh told a packed courtroom as the tycoon, wearing a pale green jumper and a grey jacket, sat with his arms folded.

The two other judges in his case were Alex Lee and Susana D’Almada Remedios.

SENTENCING EXPECTED NEXT YEAR
Mr. Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper and one of the most prominent critics of China’s Communist Party leadership, has already spent five years in jail, facing a slew of litigation under the sweeping security legislation that Beijing enacted in response to the 2019 protests.

A pre-sentencing hearing where Mr. Lai can plead for lenience is scheduled for January 12. His lawyer Steven Kwan said Mr. Lai will decide whether to appeal after the sentencing.

Hong Kong leader John Lee and national security police chief Steve Li told reporters on Monday they welcomed the verdict.

“The Judiciary is confident and unafraid of any intimidation and firmly discharges its responsibility to safeguard national security,” the city’s leader said at the airport before a regular visit to Beijing.

Mr. Lai, who suffers from health issues including diabetes and high blood pressure, was found guilty on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one of conspiracy to publish seditious material. He had pleaded not guilty on all counts.

The verdict bookends a year that marked the essential disappearance of Hong Kong’s democratic opposition under pressure from Beijing. The Democratic Party voted to disband on Sunday.

Outside the court, people overnight formed a queue more than a block long, some with camping gear, seeking to attend the verdict.

Police were monitoring the area around the building.

RIGHTS GROUPS CRITICISE THE VERDICT
Mr. Lai’s trial began in December 2023 in the former British colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, with the verdict seen as a potential fresh diplomatic flashpoint.

US President Donald Trump raised Mr. Lai’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a meeting in October and has said he would do his utmost to “save” Mr. Lai.

Britain condemned Mr. Lai’s “politically-motivated prosecution” in a statement on Monday by its foreign office, calling for his immediate release.

China’s foreign ministry said it “deplores” countries smearing Hong Kong’s justice system, urging respect for China’s sovereignty.

Beh Lih Yi, Asia-Pacific director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, called the verdict a “sham conviction” and “a disgraceful act of persecution.”

“The ruling underscores Hong Kong’s utter contempt for press freedom,” she said. “Jimmy Lai’s only crime is running a newspaper and defending democracy.”

Other groups, such as Amnesty International, and pro-democracy activists who fled the city after the protests fearing prosecution have also condemned the verdict.

The Chinese and Hong Kong governments have said his trial was “fair and just” and that the national security law treats all equally. They have said no freedoms are absolute when it comes to safeguarding national security.

Mr. Lai’s family say his health has worsened after more than 1,800 days in solitary confinement, and that he suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart palpitations.

His verdict comes at a delicate moment for Hong Kong, where residents have been mourning after a fire last month killed at least 160 people in one of the worst blazes in a residential complex globally in recent years.

Authorities have warned they would crack down on anyone who tried to use the fire to “plunge Hong Kong back into the chaos” of 2019.

After the verdict, China’s national security office in Hong Kong called Mr. Lai a “pawn of external anti-China forces” who attempted a “color revolution” in the city.

“We strongly condemn the political manipulation of Hong Kong by a small number of Western politicians and anti-China media under the guise of ‘human rights’ and ‘freedom’, openly exonerating Jimmy Lai,” it said in a statement. — Reuters

BRUSSELS/LONDON/STOCKHOLM — The European Commission is expected on Tuesday to reverse the European Union’s (EU) effective ban on sales of new combustion-engine cars from 2035, bowing to intense pressure from Germany, Italy and European automakers struggling against Chinese and US rivals.

The move, the details of which are still being hashed out by EU officials ahead of its unveiling, could see the effective ban pushed back by five years or softened indefinitely, official and industry sources said.

The likely revision to the 2023 law requiring all new cars and vans sold in the 27-nation bloc from 2035 to be CO2 emission-free would be the EU’s most significant climb-down from its green policies of the past five years.

“The European Commission will be putting forward a clear proposal to abolish the ban on combustion engines,” Manfred Weber, head of the European Parliament’s largest group, the European People’s Party, said on Friday. “It was a serious industrial policy mistake.”

Reneging on the ban has divided the sector. Traditional automakers like Volkswagen and Fiat-owner Stellantis have pushed hard for targets to be eased amid fierce competition from lower-cost Chinese rivals. The electric vehicle (EV) sector, however, sees it as yielding more ground to China in the electrification shift.

“The technology is ready, charging infrastructure is ready, and consumers are ready,” said EV maker Polestar’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael Lohscheller. “So what are we waiting for?”

COMBUSTION ENGINES AROUND FOR ‘REST OF CENTURY’
The 2023 law was designed to accelerate a transition from combustion engines to batteries or fuel cells and fine automakers who failed to meet the targets.

Meeting the targets means selling more electric vehicles, where European carmakers lag Tesla and Chinese producers like BYD and Geely.

Europe’s carmakers are making EVs, but say demand has lagged expectations as consumers are reluctant to buy more expensive EVs, and charging infrastructure is insufficient. EU tariffs on Chinese-built EVs have only slightly eased the pressure.

“It’s not a sustainable reality today in Europe,” Ford CEO Jim Farley told reporters in France last week, announcing a partnership with Renault to help cut EV costs. Industry needs were “not well-balanced” with EU CO2 targets, he said.

The EU granted the sector “breathing space” in March, allowing automakers to comply with 2025 targets over three years.

But automakers want to continue selling combustion-engine models alongside plug-in hybrids, range extender EVs with “CO2-neutral” fuels — including biofuels made from agricultural residues and waste such as used cooking oil.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in October she was open to use of e-fuels and “advanced biofuels.”

“We recommend a multi-technology approach,” said Todd Anderson, chief technology officer at combustion-engine fuel systems maker Phinia, adding the internal combustion engine will “be around for the rest of the century.”

DIVIDED OPINION
The EV industry meanwhile argues the move will undermine investment and push the EU even further behind China.

“It’s definitely going to have an effect,” said Rick Wilmer, CEO of charging hardware and software provider ChargePoint.

Automakers want the 2030 target of a 55% reduction in car emissions to be phased over several years and to drop the 50% reduction for vans. Germany wants sustainable practices like using low-carbon steel to count towards CO2 emission reductions.

The European Commission will also detail a plan to boost the share of EVs in corporate fleets, notably company cars, which make up about 60% of Europe’s new car sales. The auto industry wants incentives, pointing to Belgium as a country where subsidies have worked, rather than mandatory targets.

The Commission is likely to propose establishing a new regulatory category for small EVs that would enjoy lower taxes and earn extra credits towards meeting CO2 targets.

Environmental campaign groups say the EU should stick to its 2035 target, arguing biofuels are in short supply, are not truly CO2-neutral and supplying them would be prohibitively expensive.

“Europe needs to stay the course on electric,” said William Todts, executive director of clean transport advocacy group T&E. “It’s clear electric is the future.” — Reuters