Without massive green investments, climate targets will be hard to achieve. EU states are already wrangling intensively over what counts as green. Beijing is now seeking common standards with the EU. But the European side hesitates: Chinese requirements are weaker and ignore social issues such as forced labor. Critics now fear that the EU will move closer to China in the negotiations and lower its standards.
By Nico Beckert
Beijing has passed a law that aims to punish food waste with heavy fines. The main reason is not concern about a food shortage, but the fear of becoming too dependent on foreign countries due to the consumption needs of the growing middle class. China has to import more and more food.
By Frank Sieren