- New school subject in Hong Kong to counter political dissent
- Semiconductor shortage will continue
- USA wants to reduce dependence on China
- Stellantis ends twelve-year joint venture with GAC
- Turmoil over Taiwan statement by EU ambassador-designate
- Invitation to meet with Xi
- Potential for circular economy with China
- Stefanie Schweiger tracks down China’s spirituality
The handover of the Hong Kong office from Carrie Lam to former Police Officer John Lee is in full swing. It is a delicate time, which is why the headquarters in Beijing are observing the former crown colony very tense. Accordingly, Xia Baolong left no room for doubt on Monday. “We must resolutely clamp down on all anti-China forces that destabilize Hong Kong and Macau and leave no crack in the process,” demanded the Hong Kong and Macau envoy of the central government in Beijing.
Marcel Grzanna shows how this is to be achieved. Beijing is relying on the local education system as a central tool: Where critical thinking was promoted recently, Chinese civics will be taught in the future. The goal is clear: Hong Kong needs more central Chinese patriots.
In today’s second analysis, we look at the main problem the auto industry is facing: a global shortage of semiconductors. Car manufacturers still manage to hide the shortage – and even turn a profit from it. High demand and low supply are causing prices to rise.
But this strategy will soon come to an end. And so Christian Domke Seidel warns in his analysis: The chip shortage will last for several years – at least in the automotive industry. Companies must therefore react quickly. Chinese car companies show how: Guangzhou Automobile Group is taking stakes in local chip manufacturers, while BYD is securing mining rights for lithium.
Michael Radunski
Feature
Education in Hong Kong: only patriots
Beijing’s central government is watching Hong Kong with concern. True, the remaining political opposition has retreated so far that it is virtually inaudible. But authoritarian government systems fear the resurgence of social dissent so much that they permanently invest large portions of their money, personnel, and attention in maintaining the status quo.
Driven by the constant fear of becoming a victim of conspiracies, the stability of its regime is always at the top of the political agenda. The ongoing handover of Hong Kong’s affairs of state from Carrie Lam’s government into the hands of former Police Officer John Lee is also a delicate time. The new government, enthroned on July 1, has to get itself in order, the ministers have to coordinate their actions while the administrative apparatus has to keep running smoothly under new leadership.
‘Resolutely clamp down on all anti-Chinese forces’
On Monday, the central government’s Hong Kong and Macau commissioner Xia Baolong appealed to the new leadership to “remain vigilant.” Xia spoke at a seminar in Beijing where officials from the former crown colonies had joined online. “We must resolutely clamp down on all anti-China forces that destabilize Hong Kong and Macau and leave no crack in the process,” Xia said. These forces are not dead, he added. Similar to Hong Kong, Macau was foreign-administered until 1999, when it was returned to the People’s Republic by Portugal.
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