Democracy

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

‘You have to fight for freedom of the press’
Shirley Leung is one of the last journalists in Hong Kong to report on pro-democracy activities on the ground. As a reporter for the Apple Daily, she experienced the shutdown by Beijing firsthand. She now seeks to prevent the fates of democracy activists from being erased from the collective memory. Fabian Peltsch spoke with Leung. continue reading →
China loyal ‘patriots’ win Hong Kong elections
Pro-Beijing candidates achieved an overwhelming victory in Sunday’s parliamentary election in Hong Kong. 82 of the 90 parliamentary seats are now in the hands of forces loyal to Beijing. Only one seat was won by a Beijing critic.For many, however, the first election since the suppression of the democracy movement was a charade. Under a […] continue reading →
Only ‘patriots’ left in the Hong Kong election
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's head of government, fears a low voter turnout in the upcoming elections and is promoting free bus transport to the ballot box. At the same time, she wants to bolster police security. continue reading →
More US sanctions against China
The geopolitical dispute between China on the one side, and the US with its allies on the other, continues to escalate. After the democracy summit in Washington (China.Table reported), the Chinese leadership has called US democracy a “weapon of mass destruction”. The US had organized the democracy summit to “draw lines of ideological prejudice, instrumentalize […] continue reading →
The struggle about the interpretation of the word ‘democracy’
The USA is hosting a "democracy summit" this week. Naturally, China is not invited. Beijing is outraged and brands the United States' behavior as hegemonic striving, just like during the Cold War. But more importantly, on Saturday the Chinese leadership presented a white paper on its own democracy. The People's Republic wants to challenge the West's interpretation of the term. continue reading →
Wife of ex-Interpol chief Meng raises serious allegations
Meng Hongwei, China's first Interpol chief, was arrested for corruption three years ago. In an interview, his wife now claims that it was actually all about a power struggle: Her husband had been pushing for change. Beijing responded by arresting him. continue reading →
Glacier Kwong – fights in exile for the politically persecuted
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 →
Erasing for China’s future
Not just the West criticizes China's National People's Congress. In China, too, its deputies are referred to as "hand-raisers" behind closed doors. President Xi now gives treatment to China's "parliament" with all kinds of ideological balancing acts. In his view, the People's Congress ensures broad participation of the population. And Xi gave Western democracies only bad marks. continue reading →
Tibet lobby demands a new China policy of Germany
The human rights organization International Campaign for Tibet (ITC) has called for a reorientation of Germany’s China policy. “Beijing is now threatening the foundations of the international order and is trying to influence the democratic process and the formation of opinion in Western countries, and especially in Germany, in a number of ways,” said Kai […] continue reading →
“Merkel’s China policy is outdated”
Nils Schmid is concerned: China poses a serious challenge, he says, because it is taking place in an area in which Germany and the West have hitherto considered themselves unrivaled. Angela Merkel's China policy will not get us very far, the SPD foreign policy expert warns. The behavior of the German economy is also not a credit to the country. It is high time for a new German China policy. This interview was conducted by Michael Radunski. Here can find more interviews with top representatives of German politics ahead of the 2021 federal elections. continue reading →