Baerbock interview + Covid in the countryside + Electric buses

The China community is eagerly awaiting the German government’s new China strategy, of which initial details have already been leaked. Speaking with Table.Media, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock now defends her ministry’s ideas and goals. Germany has “experienced what can happen if we make ourselves massively dependent on a country that does not share our values, that competes with our democracy as an autocratic regime,” Baerbock said. That is why diversification of the economy is necessary, she added. The Green politician praised the German medium-sized businesses in this context – and criticized the Dax corporations.

In the meantime, China faces a potential second COVID-19 wave this month. And this time it is likely to hit rural regions, where people may be even more vulnerable to the virus than in the developed metropolises due to poor health care. The reason: Chinese New Year on January 22 is approaching, and traditionally millions and millions travel to their families in their home villages. The festival could turn into a tragic super-spreader event, as our team of authors in Beijing analyzes.

Somewhat in the shadow of the Chinese EV boom, China also advanced the development of electric buses with targeted subsidy policies. Almost every electric bus in the world now rolls on China’s roads. This makes China the main driver of the global electrification of bus fleets, as Nico Beckert analyzes. One problem the People’s Republic still has to solve, however, is the climate impact of electric vehicles: As long as coal dominates the electricity mix, carbon emission reductions are well below potential. Nevertheless, other countries can learn a few lessons from China’s electric bus successes.

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Christiane Kühl