Europe is squeezed between a hungry China and surly US | Simon Tisdall
With Merkel on the way out, who can keep the union intact as Beijings influence grows and the White Houses hostility rises? The idea of Xi Jinping as a modern-day Odysseus seems a little far-fetched. But Chinas globetrotting president proved a match for Homers 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. Xis visit to Athens marked a breakthrough moment in Chinas decades-long siege of Europes markets. A series of Belt and Road initiative and effectively hiring it as a bespoke gateway to Europe, Xi advanced Chinas overall global ambitions. The demarche also highlights a bigger, …