Complaints about counterfeits are part of everyday life in the China business. Yet most expats are unaware of one of the most spectacular imitations: Mao Zedong once even had the Tian'anmen Gate secretly torn down and rebuilt. For a long time, no one doubted the copy's authenticity. But 87 centimeters of height difference betrayed the secret.
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China's population is growing as slowly as in times of the 1950s famine. This poses immense challenges for the economy and the social system. Sales growth of products for younger people is likely to gradually decrease. And the rise to global power will become much more difficult.
By Felix Lee
China's coal phase-out has so far been little more than lip service. The country builds and plans a large number of fossil-fuel power plants and invests in corresponding projects worldwide. Even worse, foreign investors continue to pour money into China's coal industry projects. German financial firms are among them.
By Redaktion Table
The steel industry has a large share of China's rapid growth. The country is the largest importer of iron ore. However, China obtains the raw material primarily from Australia, a country with which the People's Republic has been in conflict for more than a year. Beijing is now looking primarily to Guinea in West Africa to diversify its sources. But the situation there is difficult. With no quick alternative, Australia and China will have to come to an agreement in the foreseeable future. They just can't get along without each other.
By Frank Sieren
