There is a mysterious gap in China's Covid strategy: While other countries have stripped the disease of its terror through mRNA vaccination, China clings to expensive and excruciating lockdowns as its only remedy for Omicron. But now the approval of BioNTech's vaccine could gain momentum.
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The impact of the social credit system for companies is often underestimated. Yet, it provides concrete data on the potential reliability of business partners. By also covering local German companies, it increasingly has an impact beyond the country's borders.
By Redaktion Table
Mass tests, panic buying, first residential blocks on lockdown. It seems that the Omicron variant has reached the Chinese capital. Even the authorities are warning of "grim times" for China's capital. The situation threatens to spiral out of control – and could also become a threat to President Xi Jinping.
By Michael Radunski
Experts try to predict the economic costs of the lockdown in China. Affected municipalities have to bear high costs and suffer from production cutbacks. Zero Covid is also a logistical nightmare. And problems in the transport sector further exacerbate the situation.
By Christiane Kuehl
For years, economic cooperation with China was motivated by the idea of "change through trade". The noble hope behind it: The People's Republic would open up by integrating deeper into the international community and increasingly adapt democratic elements in its political system. The former Vice President of the European Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, Stefan Sack, draws a sobering conclusion. "Change through trade" has worked out, he says, but not at all in the way Germany and Europe had hoped. Instead, we are the ones who have adapted our behavior to Chinese preferences due to the "dependencies of our supply chains and the greed for new growth markets.
By Marcel Grzanna
Chinese students in Germany usually have a hard time adjusting to everyday life in Germany. Greater personal responsibility and language barriers are hurdles on the way to better integration. Still, many of them have a positive view of their stay after returning to China.
By Frank Sieren