What is happening in Europe and Asia in April 2025?

What is happening in Europe and Asia in April 2025?

April 2025 has emerged as a pivotal month for Europe and Asia as the continents respond to the tariffs implemented by the Trump administration. In this month’s edition, we observe key political developments such as Xi Jinping’s tour of southeast Asia, the first ever EU-Central Asian Summit, Japan’s docking of warships at a Cambodian naval base, and fresh Russian attacks on the city of Sumy in Ukraine. 

We continue to monitor the breakdown in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, as well as numerous upcoming elections in Singapore, Romania, and Poland. We also observe legal developments including Slovakia’s new anti-NGO law, the French former presidential contender Marine Le Pen’s conviction for embezzlement, and Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal from the South Korean presidency. 

The political landscape in Europe and Asia in April depicts Europe’s grappling with a lack of confidence in its historic ally the United States, whilst China seeks to assert itself as a rival in an increasingly multipolar world. Similarly, historic tensions in the Middle East continue to rage whilst European states wrestle further with domestic far-right movements. 

Asia: 

Xi Jinping's Southeast Asian diplomatic tour amid US-China trade war

Amid the US-China trade war tensions, Chinese President Xi Jinping has visited Southeast Asian countries most affected by US tariff policy, including Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Xi Jinping's visit is a yearning for Southeast Asian unity to offset the difficulties occasioned by the Trump administration's policies.

President Xi in Vietnam underscored the extensive diplomatic relationship between the two nations while denouncing the trade war. Vietnam and China inked 45 agreements on infrastructure, digital trade, and border development.

During its visit to Malaysia, China made a three-point proposal to establish a high-level strategic community between China and Malaysia, with declarations on global security, global civilization, and the international development initiative. The two nations signed 31 agreements on trade and industrial cooperation, infrastructure construction, and technological cooperation.

In Cambodia, the two countries reasserted ASEAN's commitment to multilateralism and free trade. China and Cambodia inked around 37 agreements relating to youth matters, trade investment, education, and a financing deal on the Funan Techo Canal. [TheDiplomat]

Singapore heads to the polls for the 14th General Election 

Singapore's 14th General Election is scheduled for May 3, 2025, after President Tharman Shanmugaratnam dissolved Parliament on April 15. It was the first election under the leadership of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong after he succeeded Lee Hsien Loong in 2024. The election will fill 97 parliamentary seats, comprising 18 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and 15 Single Member Constituencies (SMCs). April 23 was Nomination Day, and the campaign began, which will run until May 1, with May 2 as the cooling-off day before the voting.

This is the maiden election for Lawrence Wong as chief of the People's Action Party (PAP), which has ruled since 1965. Wong has vowed to bring in a new generation of leaders with 32 first-time candidates to modernize the party's image and attract more young voters. The election comes during worldwide economic uncertainty and domestic concerns about rising living costs and increasing inequality. The PAP will be tested by opposition parties, including the Workers' Party (WP), as voters focus on economic and social issues. [CNA] [Reuters]  

Hamas rejects latest ceasefire offer from Israel government

Hamas formally rejected Israel's latest ceasefire proposal, declaring a readiness to initiate talks on an entire deal in a single round to exchange all hostages for Palestinian prisoners and bring the war to an end. Hamas holds Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for resorting to partial deals in pursuit of political interests, protracting the war and culminating in a humanitarian disaster. Meanwhile, Israel, intent on completely disarming Hamas, continues its military campaign, killing scores of Palestinians every day amid severe shortages in Gaza.

According to the latest news, at least 37 people, mostly displaced civilians, were killed when Israeli warplanes attacked a refugee camp in the al-Mawasi region, which Israel previously designated as an evacuation area. The Israeli army claims to have targeted more than 100 "terrorist" targets in the past two days but said nothing about the attack on al-Mawasi. The war, which began on October 7, 2023, after the surprise attack by Hamas, has killed more than 51,000 Palestinians, according to figures from the Gaza Health Ministry under Hamas control. [BBC] 

Japanese warships dock at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base, which the US suspects is being used for China's secret military activities.  

Two Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force minesweepers visited Cambodia's Ream Naval Base, the first foreign naval visit since it was upgraded with Chinese funding. The visit is seen as Cambodia's move to demonstrate that the Ream base is not exclusively for Chinese utilization after the US raised an eyebrow over Beijing's growing military presence in Southeast Asia.

Cambodia guarantees that warships from every friendly nation are welcome to Ream, provided they comply with national legislation. Establishing the China-Cambodia Joint Support and Training Center at the base and destroying previously US-funded facilities continues to worry about China's ambitions within Southeast Asia. The Japan visit is also interpreted as an effort to maintain strategic balance within the region. [APNews] 

The removal of the former president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, due to the impeachment for abusing martial law

On April 04, 2025, the South Korean Constitutional Court ruled to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, stating that he violated the constitution by declaring martial law and deploying the military to the parliament to force budget passage. It is the first time a South Korean president has ever been removed from office for actions related to the deployment of military troops during times of peace, and it will lead to a new presidential election set to take place in June.

This choice is the sudden downfall of Yoon, a formerly celebrated anti-corruption prosecutor accused of having a hard-edged leadership style and being politically tone-deaf. The opposition condemned his move as a coup, and his allies threatened instability. South Korea is in the midst of an uncertain transfer of power in this regard. [APNews]

The European Union has officially partnered with Uzbekistan to strengthen diplomatic relations between Europe and Central Asia.

At the EU's first top-level meeting in Samarkand with Central Asia, a new strategic partnership agreement was signed on April 4, 2025. It is a move toward deepening Central Asian-EU cooperation with a special focus on improving trade, energy, transport, and digital connectivity. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a €12 billion "Gateway" package of investments for this cooperation.

In addition, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of trade cooperation between the EU and Central Asia, with total trade volume reaching €54 billion in the past seven years, and wished that the summit would open a new era of enhanced cooperation. [Euronews] 

Europe: 

EU suspends retaliatory tariffs against US, but trade war looms nonetheless.

EU leaders rescinded their retaliatory 25% tariffs on US goods for 90 days on 10 April after US President Trump’s decision to freeze the tariffs his administration had introduced.

Trump had previously announced his long-awaited tariffs targeting most of the US‘ trade partners on 2 April, a day he dubbed “Liberation Day”, implementing a 20% tariff on goods from the EU. The latter reacted by introducing tariffs on several US goods, such as bourbon, jeans and Harley Davidson motorcycles, aiming to lay the brunt of the tariffs’ fallout on Republican states.

As a result of its squabbles with the US, the EU has ramped up its negotiations on free trade deals with third countries, including India, Australia and the Philippines. Meanwhile, it is also trying to reach an agreement with the US to avoid the reimplementation of tariffs. [Politico]

Russia unleashes fierce attack on Ukrainian city Sumy amid ongoing peace talks.

Russian forces bombed the Ukrainian city of Sumy on 13 April amid ongoing peace talks with Ukraine and the US. According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, 34 people were killed and 119 injured during the attack.

Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine under mediation by the US have been ongoing for weeks. Russia has so far rejected all proposals, as it aims to hold on to its conquered Ukrainian territories and demands guarantees that Ukraine be barred from joining NATO.

Just prior to the Sumy attack, US president Trump had extended the US sanctions on Russia that had been implemented by his predecessor Joe Biden in 2021. Meanwhile, the EU plans to send additional weapons to Ukraine. [Deutsche Welle]

Romanian city appeals court adds to election chaos.

The appeals court of the Romanian city of Ploiești ruled in favour of annulling the cancellation of last December’s presidential vote on 24 April, stirring even more controversy in what has been a tumultuous election.

The first round of Romania’s presidential elections on 24 November saw an upset victory by far-right pro Russian candidate Călin Georgescu, whose campaign was accused of having been supported by the Kremlin through cyber attacks and social media disinformation campaigns. The country’s constitutional court subsequently annulled the results of the first round.

The Romanian central electoral bureau announced later on Thursday that the appeals court’s decision would not influence the procedure of the elections. [Romania Insider]

Slovakia adopts anti-NGO law.

The Slovak parliament passed a law imposing new regulations on non-governmental organizations, leading to fears of increased authoritarianism within the country.

The law forces Slovak NGOs to disclose their funding sources and lay bare the names of major contributors. Civil society representatives fear that the country’s government may use the law to silence and oppress opposition forces and civil rights advocates. 

Slovakia has seen massive protests against the country’s government in the past months, as citizens voice their discontent with the ruling coalition’s crackdown on civil rights and turn away from NATO and towards Russia. [Euractiv] 

French far right leader Marine Le Pen convicted of embezzling EU funds.

A Paris court convicted Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French far-right party Rassemblement National, of embezzling EU funds on 31 March, putting into question a potential 2027 presidential bid.

Prosecutors found Le Pen and several others guilty of creating fake jobs while serving as MEPs from 2004 to 2017, hiring four advisors that were in fact working for her RN party while receiving EU funds.

The court barred Le Pen from running for office for five years, which would keep her from running in France’s 2027 presidential elections. Le Pen appealed against the ruling, which French far-right politicians and US president Trump have called a “political witch hunt” and a “blow to democracy”. [Le Monde]  

Poland heads to polls in tight presidential race between liberals and conservatives.

Polish voters are set to elect a new president on 18 May, in what’s shaping up to be a pivotal contest between Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski of the pro-European Civic Coalition (KO) and Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian backed by the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party. With incumbent President Andrzej Duda stepping down, the race is wide open and could redefine Poland’s political future.

Trzaskowski, who narrowly lost the 2020 race, has focused his campaign on restoring judicial independence and aligning Poland more closely with the European Union. Nawrocki, by contrast, emphasizes national sovereignty and traditional values, positioning himself as a unifier who can appeal beyond PiS' core base. The election is widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s reform agenda, which has struggled to pass due to Duda’s veto power. [Reuters]

Contributors:

Asia: Kim Khánh Hà (Hanna)

Europe: Benedikt Stöckl