- Interview: Annalena Baerbock on alternatives to decoupling with the People’s Republic of China
- Solar power from Space
- Beijing’s next move against tutoring providers
- Great Wall Motors: Wey and Ora move on German market
- Charles Michel calls for separate China policy for EU
- Dispute over territorial waters in South China Sea
- UK reviews takeover deal
- Report accuses Beijing of deliberate disinformation campaign
- Opinion: Growth prospects clouded by zero-covid strategy
A new hand of cards is being dealt. The fact that the German federal election is just a few weeks away has also been an urgent topic for Chinese entrepreneurs for some time, made evident by a question from the head of a large Beijing agency. When Annalena Baerbock was chosen as her party’s candidate for chancellor’s office, he was seeking Chinese voices abroad. He wanted to know what impacts a change in the Greens Parties’ China policy could have on German-Chinese business trade relations. What Baerbock means when she talks about “strategic sovereignty instead of decoupling” in our interview with Felix Lee makes one thing clear: the tone is getting rougher. And the Green Party leader wants to put “China high on the political agenda.”
No, it is not a script for a science fiction movie. Utopia becomes reality: China wants to beam solar energy straight from space. Frank Sieren investigated how this could work and what foundations have already been laid. The base station for a future orbital solar power plant is set for construction this year. The plans were already laid out back in 2008 in the then five-year plan.
Beijing’s zero-covid strategy is a risk. Not only for tourism, but above all for economic growth. In his China.Table guest article, Economist Yu Yongding also blamed “official policies” for the slow growth. Yu is the director of the Institute of World Economy and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, one of the most important academic research institutions – his words provide insight into behind-the-scenes discussions among leading economists.
Ning Wang
Feature
“China must be high on the political agenda”
What is your priority: clear words on human rights or frictionless trade?
In the fight against the climate crisis, there is no way around cooperation with China. At the same time, a modern trade policy cannot be pursued in isolation from the issue of human rights. What is smooth about trade if it violates human rights and destroys the environment and climate? This also means not always addressing human rights pro forma and ducking out of the way when it comes to money. Instead, we should use the power of our European internal market to protect European values.
Current trade relations with China disregard forced labour and the serious human rights violations against the Uighurs in Xinjiang, for example. However, we can put a stop to this – goods from forced labour would then not be given access to the EU’s internal market. However, with regard to fair market access for foreign investment, legal certainty and a level playing field, there is still much to be done in European-Chinese trade relations.
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