Anti-corruption drive or disloyalty: Under Xi Jinping, the Politburo has shrunk to its smallest size in roughly three decades. Now even the “Cosmos Club” is being hit.
By Andreas Landwehr
China backs Iran in the Middle East conflict, but behind the gestures lie above all economic interests. Securing trade routes is crucial for Beijing to protect its energy imports.
By Amelie Richter
Publicly available data can offer deep insight into China – at a time when independent reporting is becoming ever more difficult. A striking new media-art project called Total View shows what that can look like.
By Angela Köckritz
Friedrich Merz talks up a European China policy, but mainly means bilateral alignment with France and the UK. The EU plays little role – underscoring growing strategic disunity. For high-level EU–China engagement in 2026, no dates have been set so far.
By Helene Bubrowski, Antonia Zimmermann and Amelie Richter
China is responding cautiously to US strikes in Iran, even though Iran is an important strategic partner. Reactions inside China and across the Chinese diaspora vary widely.
By Fabian Kretschmer
During his inaugural visit, Friedrich Merz emphasizes Germany’s partnership with China. The German chancellor is now focusing on cooperation, describing China as a strategic partner. His message on economic issues was clear.
By Helene Bubrowski
On his inaugural visit, Friedrich Merz is emphasizing partnership with China. The chancellor no longer speaks of a “systemic rival.” He uses clear language only on economic issues.
By Helene Bubrowski
Europe still has catching up to do in battery recycling, but it can seize opportunities in niche markets. China is building up practical know-how thanks to larger recycling volumes. At the same time, China and Europe are competing for the raw materials needed for recycling processes.
By Christian Domke Seidel
With its new budget, the Indian government is showing where it is setting its priorities for the green transition: renewables, infrastructure, batteries, and low tariffs. The energy transition is to continue, but emissions will also continue to rise.
By Urmi Goswami
ByteDance’s AI video tool Seedance 2.0 generates astonishingly realistic, cinematic-quality videos. The tool is being celebrated as a milestone not only in China. The technology is becoming part of everyday life faster than many expect, says AI expert Hans Uszkoreit – even if its training data remains in the dark.
By Fabian Peltsch
