Interview with Lee Ming-che + Economic stimulus programs

The VW plant in Xinjiang has suddenly become a heated topic. We have long considered the precarious presence in Urumqi to be VW’s biggest political vulnerability. Unnoticed by Volkswagen, the wind has changed in politics. Whereas in 2012 Angela Merkel was still smiling at the signing of the contracts for the controversial plant, governments are now looking very closely at human rights.

To some extent, this is also the result of tough interest politics: The EU and the USA are pushing the issue against an unfriendly, inflexible China by banning imports that involve forced labor. Germany has now a Green Minister of Economics. In the meantime, not only the trade union but also Lower Saxony’s Minister-President Stephan Weil have joined the debate. VW is caught in the long-time-coming dilemma between Beijing’s demands and obligations to the German public.

How much courage does it take to voluntarily travel to the People’s Republic of China as a human rights activist? Lee Ming-che from Taiwan did this every year to speak privately with friends about the situation there. In March 2017, he was arrested after slipping into the country via Macau. A court saw his informational work about Taiwan on WeChat as “undermining state power”. David Demes spoke with Lee for China.Table as one of the first Western journalists after his release.

Lee is now primarily worried about his home country. After all, the economic, technical and cultural appeal of the People’s Republic can certainly be felt there. Young people use Chinese apps and speak Chinese slang. But if Taiwan were to abandon its distance from its big neighbor, its democracy would quickly be ruined. And there is one thing Lee himself would never do: betray his country.

Today’s feature is all about China’s growth. Perhaps it could be turned into an indicator in its own right: The difference between Western economic forecasts for China and the official target is currently particularly large, at over one percentage point. In our analysis, we look at the reasons for the differing assessments.

Admittedly, international institutions have good arguments for their pessimism. But in the end, the target of “close to 5.5 percent” growth will almost certainly be achieved. After all, major economic stimulus programs are currently underway. What none of the economists wanted to speak out loudly: If the incoming data do not produce the desired figure, Beijing could always cheat a little to make it at least appear on paper.

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Finn Mayer-Kuckuk