China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 was met with high hopes in the Western world. The integration of the emerging country into the multilateral organization was supposed to promote not only global prosperity, but also free entrepreneurial activity in China. These hopes were largely disappointed. Although prosperity has increased, China is still not a free market economy.
By Felix Lee
Through VIE companies, Chinese firms can trade their shares on foreign stock exchanges. The authorities now plan to crack down on this. They are concerned that domestic tech companies working with sensitive data could become too international.
By Ning Wang
Feng Xingliang knows the reasons why Germany continues to be attractive for Chinese companies. The honeymoon for acquisition bids may be long over, but the 57-year-old, former European head of Chinese construction machinery manufacturer Sany in Germany, speaks with Frank Sieren about the fact that knowledge transfer does not stem from acquisitions and what other mistakes Chinese companies should beware of.
By Frank Sieren
The USA is hosting a "democracy summit" this week. Naturally, China is not invited. Beijing is outraged and brands the United States' behavior as hegemonic striving, just like during the Cold War. But more importantly, on Saturday the Chinese leadership presented a white paper on its own democracy. The People's Republic wants to challenge the West's interpretation of the term.
By Michael Radunski
China is fuming over the cancellation of all women's tennis tournaments in the country. Above all, the Global Times berates the WTA. This shows above all: The suspension has had an effect, the case of Peng Shuai can no longer be cheated out of the world. Meanwhile, the debate about a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics is growing louder. The IOC is maneuvering.
By Christiane Kuehl
The "metaverse" is also the tech buzzword of the hour in China. With gaming giants like Tencent and high 5G coverage, the People's Republic is ideally equipped for the creation of a virtual parallel world. However, the government remains skeptical and is focusing on decoupling in the metaverse as well.
By Fabian Peltsch
As German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock does not want to "gloss over or hush up" critical issues in the dialogue with China, but rather face the "systemic competition". Above all, she wants to work toward joint European solutions and put an end to Germany's unilateral approach. Experts believe Baerbock can create a European and transatlantic consensus among allies with this program. However, there are also concerns about a break with Beijing.
By Redaktion Table
The presentation of the infrastructure initiative was postponed several times. Behind the scenes, funds were mobilized. But now Brussels is putting a hefty €300 billion on the table for the "Global Gateway". The plan is to globally invest in digitalization, green technologies and transport links.
By Amelie Richter
Difficult access and a lack of transparency hinder the participation of European companies in standardization processes in China, a survey shows. However, it is also clear that companies lack expertise. The EU Chamber of Commerce calls for investment in standardization knowledge.
By Amelie Richter
Beijing's "China Standards 2035" initiative has caused experts to turn heads. The project shows that China has discovered standardization as an industrial, geopolitical and power-political instrument. The EU Chamber of Commerce in China will present a report on standardization in the People's Republic on Thursday. Germany and the EU still have some catching up to do, especially in key technologies, says Sibylle Gabler, Director Government Relations at the German Institute for Standardization (DIN). Speaking to Amelie Richter, however, she gives the all-clear: China is still a long shot from reaching superiority. But there is still a lot of work to be done.
By Amelie Richter
