- India-China: anger and hostility – even during COVID-19
- Tesla seeks proximity to authorities
- TSMC: enough chips for the auto industry?
- Nio builds EV park in Hefei
- Student visa rush for the US
- Baidu launches first driverless taxis
- Is China becoming a “superpower”?
- Nancy Qian: the two sides of Chinese GDP
There are many flowery metaphors for the relationship between China and India, such as that of the dragon and the elephant, each with their different speeds. One thing is certain: India is currently in need and China is sending aid. This division of roles fits well with China’s self-image as a successful nation that now supports other emerging economies. But the exuberant pride in what has been achieved has obscured the essentials: Instead of helping altruistically, the focus is on India’s backwardness – which causes so much anger in its neighbor that it would prefer to reject the deliveries.
Tesla is as much the PR miracle as the range miracle among EV manufacturers. But high profile makes a brand an even bigger target for attacks from social media – especially in China with its very demanding customers. Censorship does not hold its protective hand over the foreign supplier either, so criticism of Elon Musk and his cars continues to escalate. This can also serve as a warning for German brands: Pride comes before a fall in the public perception, regardless of whether the accusations of poor quality are justified.
The Taiwanese chip manufacturer TSMC currently plays a key role for several industries – from cars to gaming to mobile phones. Due to its delivery problems, production lines are even at a standstill in Germany. Now, for the first time in months, there’s good news here: The company sees “some relief“. For how long? Unfortunately, only until next month. For managers in the automotive industry, this attempt at reassurance probably sounds far too vague.
Meanwhile, Green chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock provides hints about her ideas for a readjustment of Germany’s China policy. “We must not be naive about China,” she said at an event on Monday evening. Europe must protect itself from too much influence from the Far East. But at the same time – and this is typical for the Greens in the 2021 election campaign – she showed herself to be realistic and pragmatic: China was “far too big a market” to close off from it. Other leaders before her had already come to this conclusion.
Finn Mayer-Kuckuk
Feature
Anger and hostility – even during COVID-19
The tweet on the Chinese short message service Weibo was short. Yet, it had a destructive effect on the relationship between India and China. It was written on Saturday by the Central Political and Legal Commission of the Communist Party of China – an important and powerful institution that oversees law enforcement by the Chinese police, for example. The current chairman is Guo Shengkun, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee.
Specifically, it is a collage of two photographs: On the left, a Chinese space rocket ignites as it launches into orbit; on the right, Indian aid workers light COVID pandemic dead on pyres. The accompanying text: China lighting a fire versus India lighting a fire.
The message has since blighted the cooperation between the two neighboring countries on the COVID pandemic. “This tweet is full of arrogance, aggression, and contempt,” laments foreign policy expert Rajeswari Rajagopalan of Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF).
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