What is the name of the worldwide largest smartphone manufacturer? Samsung, Apple, Huawei? Wrong. The Chinese company BBK Electronics is virtually unknown to consumers, but it produces one out of four mobile phones worldwide. They are sold through a whole range of brands, including Oppo and Vivo.
By Redaktion Table
China's viticulture is growing, first and foremost in Ningxia, western China. By 2023, China wants to have as many grape-growing areas as the traditional growing country Germany. Chinese wines are winning more and more international awards. This also impacts European exports: The more China grows itself, the less it has to import. As early as 2020, 25 percent less was imported, even though consumption remained almost the same. For Germany, China is one of the five most important markets.
By Frank Sieren
DiDi is the top dog in the Chinese market for ride services. However, just before its planned IPO, the authorities put the company through the mill. Defiantly, DiDi is expanding its international presence. Its base, however, remains its home country. Here, the company wants to profit from increased mobility and urbanization.
By Ning Wang
In a few days, the Chinese Communist Party will celebrate its centenary. In an interview, sinologist Klaus Muehlhahn explains the success story, which for a long time was not a success – and its effects up to the present day: Historical ruptures continue to determine the actions of the leadership around Xi Jinping. Michael Radunski spoke with Muehlhahn.
By Michael Radunski
The G7 wants to establish a new global infrastructure initiative. The Western states are also focusing on human rights. This is intended to set them apart from China. Beijing's New Silk Road is all too often based on the exploitation of Chinese workers. The problem is that cheap labor is a competitive advantage for China that the G7 initiative can hardly make up for.
By Nico Beckert
The tone in China's fiercely competitive technology sector is getting rougher. The struggle for dominance and pluralism in the Chinese network world is shifting to the corporate level – the conflicts between Bytedance and the Internet giant Tencent are an exemplary lesson in the distribution battles.
By Christiane Kuehl
Anyone who wants to understand today's China must understand Deng Xiaoping. The gap between rich and poor, how a communist party can remain in force in one of the most capitalist countries in the world, the crisis of values in society – all this is related to him.
By Felix Lee
China's EV market is growing rapidly. The People's Republic is facing the question of how to deal with the increasing amount of used batteries earlier than other countries. This is because old batteries are extremely harmful to the environment. The powerful Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has now held the manufacturers responsible once again and calls for more attention to recycling.
By Frank Sieren
According to a joint study by the research institute Merics and the Rhodium Group, mergers and acquisitions by Chinese companies in the EU continue to decline. This is partly because of the Chinese state. Foreign acquisitions are no longer as desirable as they were five years ago. But EU countries, for their part, are also increasingly wary and call for closer scrutiny of deals. The political climate is doing its bit to scare off investors.
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The new law against punitive measures puts foreign companies in a quandary. They face drastic consequences in the second-largest economy if they comply with possible sanctions. To eliminate the risks in the long term, they would have to create completely independent value chains. That is economically risky. Yet the worst-case scenario also offers opportunities.
By Marcel Grzanna
