Profile China.Table

Three guiding principles have accompanied Jürgen Kracht since he arrived in Hong Kong almost 50 years ago: “Seek common ground, build personal relationships, and trust your counterpart – but verify.” In the 1980s, former American President Ronald Reagan made the verify part a catchphrase during disarmament negotiations with the Soviet Union. In China, it’s good […] continue reading →

Metin Hakverdis’ constituency of Hamburg-Bergedorf-Harburg has a very direct link to China: the Container Terminal Altenwerder. Several million containers are handled there every year – many from the Middle Kingdom. “It’s impressive when you stand up there on the bridge for half an hour and look at all the arrivals,” reports the Member of the […] continue reading →

Like many of his fellow political science graduates, Tamás Matura actually wanted to specialize in the European Union. But then China piqued his interest – and the emerging superpower never let go of the Hungarian politics student. “There have been countless competent EU experts and also many Orientalists who dealt with important questions of China’s […] continue reading →

When chemical giant BASF revealed its first financial figures of the year back in May, the optimism coming from its headquarters in Ludwigshafen was clearly audible. The targets for 2021 were raised, thanks above all to the Chinese market. Sales in the People’s Republic rose by 43 percent compared to the first quarter of 2020. […] continue reading →

It has been four years since Eckehard Scharfschwerdt was allowed to hang a gold medal with an engraving of the Great Wall of China around his neck. Today, the 57-year-old lives in the German village of Edelweiler in the northern Black Forest and works as a family doctor in the neighboring small town of Altensteig. […] continue reading →

Becoming the face of the Hong Kong protest movement in Germany was not something Glacier Kwong had planned. When the pro-democracy protests in her hometown escalated two years ago, the 25-year-old was in Hamburg, where she has been enrolled at university since 2018. From afar, she watched as former classmates were surrounded by police amid […] continue reading →

Minxin Pei is one of the most renowned Chinese intellectuals in the world. However, he is anything but a mouthpiece for the People’s Republic. Quite the opposite, in fact: From his study in Claremont in the suburbs of Los Angeles, Pei has been commenting on events in his home country for more than two decades, […] continue reading →

In the past ten years, things have become relatively quiet around Tibet and the Dalai Lama. The spiritual leader of the Tibetans once traveled around the world to draw attention to the fate of his people. He also came to Germany, met the German Chancellor, and was a guest on TV talk shows. But times […] continue reading →

“Beijing has become a real slog,” complains Harald Kumpfert. But the CEO of NEcreat has no problems making a plea for his adopted home of Shenyang. Nevertheless, the eight-million metropolis northeast of Beijing carries old burdens when it comes to its image. “Shenyang is still known as the Ruhrpott (Germany’s coal-mining region) of northern China,” […] continue reading →