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China (English)

Feature

LinkedIn blocks user profiles with 'problematic content'

The "wrong" title of an academic paper is reason enough for the online professional network LinkedIn to make a user's profile invisible in China. The company defends itself as a strong supporter of freedom of expression but submits to pressure from Beijing. The case of a Swedish LinkedIn user shows how determined the People's Republic is to ban unpleasant topics from discourse.

By Marcel Grzanna

Feature

Container congestion in Shenzhen disrupts global trade

The port of Shenzhen is experiencing a double traffic jam after a small COVID-19 outbreak: inside, goods are piling up; outside, freighters are waiting to dock. The consequences for logistics are felt around the globe. Industrial goods are arriving too late in the target markets, and prices are rising. Meanwhile, the Ifo Institute is proposing a simple countermeasure.

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Feature

Background advertising makes Alipay, Hisense, and TikTok popular

China's companies are more present at the UEFA European Championship, Euro 2020, than ever before. They are appearing as official partners like Alibaba – or as tournament sponsors like TikTok. The advertising presence gets the companies visibility for their global business and, at the same time, supports China's ambitions to host a World Cup itself one day. And since Chinese fans also like to watch the Euro at night, the advertising serves the country's own market as well.

By Christiane Kuehl