Omid Nouripour: the West has failed + EU Chamber criticizes decoupling

Omid Nouripour doesn’t mince matters: Germany needs to show more strength in its relations with China, says the Green Party foreign policy expert. In the long run, dialogue alone simply won’t suffice. In his opinion, the political agreement to finalize the EU investment agreement with China (CAI) was signed too quickly – Berlin and Paris had agreed on the deal with Beijing without consulting the other member states. The German automobile industry has also earned its share of criticism: It needs to “get out of its hammock” and make greater use of its innovative strength in the competition with China, Nouripour demands in the interview with Michael Radunski.

The EU Chamber of Commerce in Beijing communicates much more diplomatically – also because the recipient is different. In this year’s position paper, the Chamber criticizes the growing tendency of the People’s Republic towards decoupling. China is harming itself by passing up the advantages of the international division of labor and the exchange with foreign specialists. The Chamber also has some advice for European companies in China. Finn Mayer-Kuckuk has analyzed the paper.

Big (climate) news sometimes comes in passing. In his speech to the UN General Assembly, Xi Jinping announced that China will no longer build new coal power plants abroad. That is good news for the fight against global warming – since Beijing is the last major backer of climate-harming coal power. The People’s Republic has also used coal financing to export excess capacity of its own coal industry overseas. Will Beijing keep its promise, or is it just creating loopholes?

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Nico Beckert