Middle East politics + Organic cotton prices

Does the principle of non-interference still suit a great power with considerable creative will? The leadership in Beijing must increasingly weigh between the two ideas of its own role – and is now taking the side of the Palestinians in the current Middle East crisis. Our correspondents in Beijing show the difficult balancing act being attempted in the Middle East: courting the Muslim world without alienating Israel. The message behind the maneuver is much more one-sided: Beijing wants to expose the US as a disruptive factor.

The events in Xinjiang are putting China under further pressure – and this may soon have its first effects on the West, as Marcel Grzanna has discovered. The accusations of forced labor against Chinese cotton producers from Xinjiang are contributing to skyrocketing prices for shirts and pants from sustainable production. Organic cotton products could become up to 30 percent more expensive next year. Then consumers will decide at the checkout how much ethical consumption is worth to them.

Foxconn is known to many primarily as a supplier of iPhones. But the Taiwanese company also wants to do business with the automotive industry – and has agreed to a strategic partnership with the Opel parent company Stellantis. With its 14 brands, Stellantis is the fourth largest car manufacturer in the world. But things have not been going well in China. Opel, in particular, which has been one of the smaller Stellantis brands so far, could benefit from the deal with Foxconn.

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Michael Radunski