- A new market: Meat analogue
- Controversy over Confucius Institute: ‘Big Brother is watching you’
- Why Hong Kong is the big winner in Beijing’s campaign against didi
- EU foreign ministers present proposals for BRI alternative
- Huawei and Verizon settle patent dispute
- Svolt and Stellantis form partnership
- One in two companies violate environmental regulations
- Tencent is to cede their exclusive rights to music labels
- In profile: Florian W. Mehring – negotiation coach
Devout Buddhists recognized the benefits of vegetarian fish and meat alternatives centuries ago. Now the generation of young and health-conscious Chinese also seems to be rediscovering this age-old tradition. A huge new sales market is presenting itself to foreign companies as well as domestic suppliers and the competition for the best duck made from plant protein and smoked fish made from seitan is in full swing, reports Frank Sieren. And not only do vegetarian gourmets benefit from this; this new nutrition trend also offers several advantages for the state.
Chinese Confucius Institutes are subjected to an ever-increasing global pressure. Accusations range from simple state propaganda to clandestine espionage activities for the CP. Marcel Grzanna reports on how resentment continues to grow in Japan and South Korea. A look at nearby Slovakia shows that factual evidence is losing its relevance. The tone is literally getting rougher.
Chinese authorities have recently taken rather brutal actions against the ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing. This is not an isolated case, as our team of authors in Beijing proves: several Chinese companies have canceled their IPOs in New York due to current pressure. But there is also a beneficiary in this story: Hong Kong.
I hope you will gain valuable new insights with our latest issue
Michael Radunski
Feature
Meatless meat
The breakthrough for plant-based meat was made possible by Gabrielle Guan, one of China’s most famous actresses, who advertised Chinese dumplings filled with plant-based meat – and triggered a gigantic wave. In just a few days, the term Zhíwùròu – plant-based meat – was searched 600 million times on Weibo. The consulting company Euromonitor predicts that China’s plant-based meat industry will be worth 13 billion US dollars by 2023.
Especially younger consumers of the health-conscious middle class become more open to meat analogue, as they are considered healthier and less harmful to the environment. Omnifoods also emphasizes that all new products are made from non-GMO soybeans, peas and rice. They are free of trans fats and cholesterol and are suitable for a vegan and Buddhist diet.
Omnifoods is just one of several ‘fake meat’ manufacturers that wish to enter the Chinese market. Nasdaq-listed US startup Beyond Meat has already partnered with fast-food company KFC and coffeehouse chain Starbucks in China. In June, Yum China, which owns the rights to operate KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell in China, stated it would offer Beyond Burger for a limited time. To meet demands, Beyond Meat has even built a new production facility near Shanghai. In addition, as of this month, a meatless Meat Wrap is available in 2800 stores in 28 cities around China.
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