Chinese carmaker Geely has successfully brought its Swedish subsidiary Volvo on the Stockholm stock exchange. The capital is to flow into the planned restructuring of the brand because Geely's boss, Li Shufu, plans to attack the EV market with Volvo at the helm. The company also wants to be at the forefront of a shift towards new mobility. Another goal is to build an Android-style car ecosystem.
By Christiane Kuehl
Supply bottlenecks, widespread power outages, tech companies under pressure, the real estate sector deep in crisis – the world's second-largest economy is currently experiencing a multitude of problems. Many of them are homemade and can be traced back to the government's lust for control. For President Xi, control is essentially more important than growth. But where does he draw the line?
By Felix Lee
Chinese cars have become a lucrative niche in Germany. Indimo in particular is benefiting from this. The importer is already selling thousands of vehicles in Germany, and the trend is rising. And there is one very specific reason.
By Redaktion Table
Education Minister Anja Karliczek calls on German universities to "re-evaluate the role of Confucius Institutes in the German higher education landscape". Only recently, two Confucius Institutes had canceled the presentation of a book about Xi Jinping. The fundamental question of the independence and role of the Confucius Institutes thus takes on new topicality.
By Ning Wang
China's "Personal Information Protection Law" comes into force. It is intended to protect consumers' rights vis-à-vis companies. Large companies such as Tencent have already revised their data protection regulations. The law also has an impact on foreign companies. It is similar to the European data protection law in terms of the relationship between companies and customers. However, the state still exempts itself from the obligations in China.
By Frank Sieren
Thanks in part to its now 20-year commitment in China, Webasto has become one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world. The company is known to many because it was the site of the first COVID case in Germany. The shock of that time has been overcome, but CEO Holger Engelmann is worried about the future. In an interview with China.Table, he fears an economic long COVID with unforeseeable consequences. He is particularly concerned about supply issues, a shortage of skilled workers, and further disruptions to the global economy. He considers the establishment of a separate supply chain exclusively for the Chinese market likely in the future. Marcel Grzanna conducted the interview.
By Marcel Grzanna
A big step for the opening of China's financial markets: Shenzhen has become the first Chinese city to issue a bond to international investors. Until now, borrowing by Chinese municipalities has been an internal affair. Foreign participation could bring a new professionalism to local government financing. But it also ties the global financial market more closely to China – for better or worse.
By Frank Sieren
Beijing is also spreading its narratives on Western social media. Especially since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, disinformation campaigns aimed at showing China in a better light have increased on the web. The success, however, has been moderate, as observers note. Nevertheless, they warn of a potential tech dependency of the West.
By Amelie Richter
According to figures, China is one of the most generous donors of development aid. Or is it? An event organized by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) provides new insights. The loans often do not have particularly favorable conditions. Moreover, there is a lack of transparency. Even Chinese officials are often unsure which funding agency grants which sums to which beneficiaries.
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While China is pounding its chest, EU institutions and member nations are trying to improve their ties with Taiwan. The US is simultaneously supporting the greater integration of the island nation into the United Nations. And Beijing is reacting with its usual harsh rhetoric.
By Redaktion Table
