China
CAI + US-China + Banks + Oppo + Visa + Green Party election program + Clariant + Joerg Wuttke
Dear reader,
China's sometimes thuggish approach to foreign NGOs and foundations is now also enshrined in the investment agreement with the EU. Civil society is excluded from better standards, such as those achieved for companies. Beijing is thus sending a clear signal, as Amelie Richter reports.
Tensions in USA-China relations won't ease even under the new US president Joe Biden, Felix Lee predicts. There will be undiplomatic bluster in front of the cameras, as at the meeting in Alaska. Moreover, Washington is forging new and old alliances to contain China. On the other hand, Jörg Wuttke, President of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, writes in the Opinion that sanctions from the US side will not hurt Beijing. Xi Jinping enjoys strong support in the party and therefore has no pressure to give in to foreign demands.
China's banks have become the largest in the world in recent years. But many experts wonder how many bad loans are lying dormant on their balance sheets. While China's former finance minister Lou Jiwei urges a further reduction of credit risk, the rating agency Fitch attests Beijing good progress, as Gregor Koppenburg and Joern Petring report.
