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China (English)

Feature

Beijing's policy with loan contracts

China is the most important bilateral donor for developing and emerging countries. A research team led by the Institute for the World Economy has now been able to analyze 100 Chinese loan agreements to developing countries for the first time. China.Table was given advance access to the underlying study. The Chinese contracts contain "unusually far-reaching secrecy clauses" and ensure Beijing priority over other creditors in the event of insolvency. Some contract clauses even allow Beijing to "potentially influence" the policies of debtor countries. Despite strict contractual clauses, Beijing regularly grants debt rescheduling and deferments.

By Nico Beckert

Feature

Hong Kong's struggle from exile

As Beijing secures political control of Hong Kong with electoral reform, fugitive activists are forming to fight the autocrats. Ted Hui was a Hong Kong parliamentarian, but since December, he has been on the run with his family and now lives in Australia. He now talks to China.Table about his fate and that of his fellow campaigners – between pride and fear. Giving up is not an option for them. "We keep going," says Hui.

By Marcel Grzanna

Feature

Malacca: China's Suez problem

The debacle over the grounded container ship in the Suez Canal has once again shown Beijing how risky it is to become too dependent on a transport route with a bottleneck. For China, that is even more so the 900-kilometer-long Strait of Malacca near Singapore, which measures only 2.7 kilometers at its narrowest point. Most of China's raw materials have to pass through this strait. That is why China has been trying for years to build alternative supply routes as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. These are mainly pipelines.

By Frank Sieren

Feature

'Peace' as a weapon in the digital age

The new submarine internet cable "Peace" is supposed to be able to transport the equivalent of 90,000 hours of Netflix movies – per second. It is currently being laid from China via Pakistan to France and Africa – and is causing friction in Chinese-American relations. The question is: Who controls global data traffic?

By Ning Wang