The Olympic Games will be officially opened in Paris on Friday. The celebration is expected to be spectacular, taking place on the Seine River. Athletes, along with bands and performers, will sail through the French capital on boats.
Among the participants are eleven Chinese swimmers who tested positive for doping in 2021. The positive samples were dismissively explained away by the association, claiming that hotel chefs contaminated the team’s food with the banned drug Trimetazidine. This case points to ongoing systematic state-sponsored doping, supported by the Communist Party, writes Marcel Grzanna.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has traveled to China. He aims to explore whether China could play a constructive role in achieving a just peace. On Wednesday, he met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
They spoke for over three hours on the first day of a four-day visit. This trip is crucial for both sides, analyzes Michael Radunski. The agreements clearly reveal where China’s interests lie.
The long history of Chinese state-sponsored doping is entering the next phase at the Paris Olympics. Even before the competitions officially start on Friday, Chinese swimmers are already under scrutiny. Eleven members of the Olympic team tested positive for a banned substance three years ago and were not punished. The affair continues to this day. Investigations by German public broadcaster ARD suggest that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the Chinese Swimming Association‘s flimsy excuses.
The team hotel’s kitchen was reportedly contaminated, allegedly causing 23 positive tests. This explanation even seemed strange to the involved athletes, who exchanged messages revealing they weren’t at the hotel at the time. However, investigating in China always leaves room for doubt as every piece of evidence is dismissed as lies and smear campaigns against China.
The official Chinese version vehemently denies any suspicion. The manner of their counterclaims resembles the political disinformation campaigns of the Communist Party, which is likely not a coincidence. Chinese sports are heavily infiltrated by the CCP. Party officials take positions in sports associations and former athletes are recruited by the Party. Athletes have little choice but to comply when the Party has other plans for them.
As such, China’s delegation in Paris is practically an extension of the CCP, continuously expanding its influence in international bodies. Recently, artist Yang Weidong highlighted the connection between sports and the Party at the Berlin Wall. On a large banner at a prominent spot in the East Side Gallery, he showcased 31 former athletes who are now Party members playing significant roles in Chinese sports. This project coincided with the release of a diary series by his mother, Xue Yinxian.
Nearly 20 years ago, Xue’s revelations about Chinese state-sponsored doping shed light on the extent and organization of systematic cheating in sports like swimming, athletics and weightlifting. Her seven-part book series, titled “China’s Drugs” (中国毒品), offers nearly 4,000 pages of detailed insights into her practices as a former sports doctor, who was ostracized by the state after breaking her silence and giving interviews to foreign media before the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Xue’s husband, Yang Ketong, died in 2007 after a physical altercation with the then-deputy director of the training office of China’s General Administration of Sports. The sports official reportedly pushed Yang down a flight of stairs. Yang later died in the hospital. In 2017, Xue applied for political asylum in Germany, including her son and daughter-in-law, during a medical visit.
As he explained to Table. Briefings, Yang aimed to draw attention to doping in Chinese sports and warn about the CCP’s infiltration of the International Olympic Committee and other international sports federations.
He called his project “advertising for sexually transmitted diseases.” It also exists as a card game, designed to mimic ads for STD treatments common in China since the 1990s. “This is a metaphor for how widespread doping is in Chinese sports,” says Yang.
Interestingly, all 31 individuals featured hold the title of massage therapist. Yang states, “This title doesn’t officially exist.” It was created by China’s General Administration of Sports to place unqualified personnel into national teams, allowing the Party direct influence over the medical departments of associations, thereby opening the door to state-sponsored doping.
Similarly thin attempts to explain 23 positive doping tests in one go, such as those of the Chinese Swimming Association, would provoke a significant public outcry. In China, potential dissent is stifled early. While sports officials in other countries face court for doping offenses, the use of performance-enhancing substances is state-supported in some Chinese sports, including swimming.
While doping is not unique to China, cheating is systematic there, as Xue’s records show. Even though her experiences are decades old and she lacks current evidence, Xue is not surprised that the eleven positively tested athletes remain unpunished and are now competing in the Olympics. “There have been no substantial changes in the structures since my time. Whether that is enough to prevent widespread state-sponsored doping in sports is highly questionable,” says Xue.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has traveled to China to determine if China could play a constructive role in achieving a just peace. On Wednesday, he met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. They engaged in over three hours of talks on the first day of a four-day visit.
This is noteworthy and indicates that this trip is of significant importance to both Ukraine and China.
This is Kuleba’s first trip to China and the first visit by a Ukrainian Foreign Minister since 2012. After the three hours with Wang, he spoke on Wednesday of thorough and substantive discussions about bilateral relations, particularly on the path to peace. “I am convinced that a just peace in Ukraine is in China’s strategic interest, and China’s role as a global force for peace is crucial,” Kuleba said, attempting to appeal to China’s own interests.
China’s interests are clearly outlined in Wednesday’s agreements:
In return, Kuleba assured that Ukraine is ready for talks with Russia if Moscow engages in serious negotiations. This undermines one of Beijing’s main arguments for its previous passivity. The Kremlin also stated on Wednesday that Ukraine’s willingness for talks aligns with Russia’s position, and further details need to be worked out.
One thing is clear: both sides could benefit enormously from this trip. For Ukraine, it’s about survival. For 28 months, they have resolutely resisted Russian attacks. However, signs of exhaustion are growing – not only in Ukraine but internationally:
China also has much at stake:
A comprehensive peace conference led by China would be a tremendous success for Beijing. At least theoretically, the chances are not too bad. Given its dependence on the PRC, Russia could hardly refuse a Chinese conference. Through Kuleba’s visit, Ukraine has reaffirmed its willingness and highlighted that China should play a leading role.
In line with this, China and Brazil published a joint six-point peace proposal in May, supporting a peace conference recognized by both warring parties. A first attempt in June in Switzerland did not impact the fighting because neither Russia nor China attended. With the potential election of Donald Trump in the US, Kyiv is pushing for a second international summit this year, ideally in a “Global South” country with China playing a leading role.
Recent events show China’s capability in mediating conflicts. This week, Beijing brought together the rival groups Hamas and Fatah. Last year, China mediated an agreement between the arch-enemies Iran and Saudi Arabia.
However, there are two significant differences with the Ukraine conflict:
China’s unique interpretation of neutrality is likely the biggest obstacle to peace. But in times of war and suffering, hope persists. Perhaps Kuleba and Wang will lay the foundation in the coming days for China to establish itself as a global peace power with success in the Ukraine conflict. This would be in the interest of the entire world – and notably for China and Ukraine.
Polish President Andrzej Duda has threatened to close the Małaszewicze rail border crossing to Belarus, a critical point for China’s land exports to Europe. According to Bloomberg, Duda hopes to pressure Beijing into influencing Belarus to stop the orchestrated migration flows onto Polish territory.
During his visit at the end of June, President Duda reportedly linked the issues of migration and goods transit at the Belarusian border. He threatened to effectively shut down the rail border crossing, which would cut off a vital route for Chinese exports to Europe.
Reports indicate that since this visit, the influx of migrants from Belarus to Poland has decreased by 70 percent. It appears Poland has found an effective diplomatic pressure point. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been using migrants as a tool to create unrest in Poland and the EU, assisting people in illegally crossing the EU’s external border. ari
When booking summer vacations, there’s a good chance you’ve used Booking.com before. The online travel agency based in the Netherlands is the clear market leader in Germany, followed by Expedia from the USA. However, a name that is increasingly appearing is Trip.com.
The company, led by the successful Chinese businesswoman Jane Sun and known as Ctrip in China, aims to shake up the international travel industry. In Asia, Trip.com has long been at the forefront, despite the intense competition among providers. Besides its main Chinese competitor, Qunar, Trip.com also faces platforms like MakeMyTrip, which is leading in India, as well as Rakuten and Recruit, which are particularly strong in Japan.
55-year-old Sun began her career at Trip.com in 2005 as CFO. She quickly rose to COO in 2012 and was eventually promoted to CEO in November 2016. This promotion coincided with Sun’s initiative to acquire the British platform Skyscanner, one of the world’s leading flight search engines. In 2017, Sun pushed for the rebranding to Trip.com for the international market, while maintaining the Ctrip brand in China.
Sun holds a bachelor’s degree from the Business School of the University of Florida and an LLM degree from the Law School of Peking University. Before joining Trip.com, she gained experience as an audit manager at KPMG in the US.
Under Sun’s leadership, Trip.com also successfully navigated difficult times, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company quickly recovered from the pandemic, and its stock in Hong Kong recently reached a record high.
Sun’s management skills have been widely recognized. Since 2017, she has been continuously listed as one of the 50 most powerful women in business by Fortune magazine. In 2018, Forbes named her one of the “Top 25 Rising Stars” of the Asian business world.
Gender equality is particularly important to Sin. In an interview with Yahoo Finance, she recently described several measures that Trip.com has introduced in this regard. These include free taxi rides for pregnant employees, a welcome gift of 800 dollars and an education allowance of 3,000 dollars for newborns, as well as flexible working hours for returning mothers. This is far from the norm in China.
Trip.com is also the first company in China to offer paid egg freezing for its female employees. This benefit is specifically aimed at the company’s senior executives and engineers. The egg freezing usually takes place abroad, as it is prohibited for unmarried women in China. The program aims to support women in their career development without having to choose between family and work. Joern Petring
The Olympic Games in Paris have not yet started. However, these swans on a lake in Suqian, Jiangsu Province, are already practicing synchronized swimming. Normally, most swans are solitary creatures. But when a lake becomes crowded and the population large, they can become more sociable and form colonies.
The Olympic Games will be officially opened in Paris on Friday. The celebration is expected to be spectacular, taking place on the Seine River. Athletes, along with bands and performers, will sail through the French capital on boats.
Among the participants are eleven Chinese swimmers who tested positive for doping in 2021. The positive samples were dismissively explained away by the association, claiming that hotel chefs contaminated the team’s food with the banned drug Trimetazidine. This case points to ongoing systematic state-sponsored doping, supported by the Communist Party, writes Marcel Grzanna.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has traveled to China. He aims to explore whether China could play a constructive role in achieving a just peace. On Wednesday, he met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
They spoke for over three hours on the first day of a four-day visit. This trip is crucial for both sides, analyzes Michael Radunski. The agreements clearly reveal where China’s interests lie.
The long history of Chinese state-sponsored doping is entering the next phase at the Paris Olympics. Even before the competitions officially start on Friday, Chinese swimmers are already under scrutiny. Eleven members of the Olympic team tested positive for a banned substance three years ago and were not punished. The affair continues to this day. Investigations by German public broadcaster ARD suggest that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the Chinese Swimming Association‘s flimsy excuses.
The team hotel’s kitchen was reportedly contaminated, allegedly causing 23 positive tests. This explanation even seemed strange to the involved athletes, who exchanged messages revealing they weren’t at the hotel at the time. However, investigating in China always leaves room for doubt as every piece of evidence is dismissed as lies and smear campaigns against China.
The official Chinese version vehemently denies any suspicion. The manner of their counterclaims resembles the political disinformation campaigns of the Communist Party, which is likely not a coincidence. Chinese sports are heavily infiltrated by the CCP. Party officials take positions in sports associations and former athletes are recruited by the Party. Athletes have little choice but to comply when the Party has other plans for them.
As such, China’s delegation in Paris is practically an extension of the CCP, continuously expanding its influence in international bodies. Recently, artist Yang Weidong highlighted the connection between sports and the Party at the Berlin Wall. On a large banner at a prominent spot in the East Side Gallery, he showcased 31 former athletes who are now Party members playing significant roles in Chinese sports. This project coincided with the release of a diary series by his mother, Xue Yinxian.
Nearly 20 years ago, Xue’s revelations about Chinese state-sponsored doping shed light on the extent and organization of systematic cheating in sports like swimming, athletics and weightlifting. Her seven-part book series, titled “China’s Drugs” (中国毒品), offers nearly 4,000 pages of detailed insights into her practices as a former sports doctor, who was ostracized by the state after breaking her silence and giving interviews to foreign media before the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Xue’s husband, Yang Ketong, died in 2007 after a physical altercation with the then-deputy director of the training office of China’s General Administration of Sports. The sports official reportedly pushed Yang down a flight of stairs. Yang later died in the hospital. In 2017, Xue applied for political asylum in Germany, including her son and daughter-in-law, during a medical visit.
As he explained to Table. Briefings, Yang aimed to draw attention to doping in Chinese sports and warn about the CCP’s infiltration of the International Olympic Committee and other international sports federations.
He called his project “advertising for sexually transmitted diseases.” It also exists as a card game, designed to mimic ads for STD treatments common in China since the 1990s. “This is a metaphor for how widespread doping is in Chinese sports,” says Yang.
Interestingly, all 31 individuals featured hold the title of massage therapist. Yang states, “This title doesn’t officially exist.” It was created by China’s General Administration of Sports to place unqualified personnel into national teams, allowing the Party direct influence over the medical departments of associations, thereby opening the door to state-sponsored doping.
Similarly thin attempts to explain 23 positive doping tests in one go, such as those of the Chinese Swimming Association, would provoke a significant public outcry. In China, potential dissent is stifled early. While sports officials in other countries face court for doping offenses, the use of performance-enhancing substances is state-supported in some Chinese sports, including swimming.
While doping is not unique to China, cheating is systematic there, as Xue’s records show. Even though her experiences are decades old and she lacks current evidence, Xue is not surprised that the eleven positively tested athletes remain unpunished and are now competing in the Olympics. “There have been no substantial changes in the structures since my time. Whether that is enough to prevent widespread state-sponsored doping in sports is highly questionable,” says Xue.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has traveled to China to determine if China could play a constructive role in achieving a just peace. On Wednesday, he met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. They engaged in over three hours of talks on the first day of a four-day visit.
This is noteworthy and indicates that this trip is of significant importance to both Ukraine and China.
This is Kuleba’s first trip to China and the first visit by a Ukrainian Foreign Minister since 2012. After the three hours with Wang, he spoke on Wednesday of thorough and substantive discussions about bilateral relations, particularly on the path to peace. “I am convinced that a just peace in Ukraine is in China’s strategic interest, and China’s role as a global force for peace is crucial,” Kuleba said, attempting to appeal to China’s own interests.
China’s interests are clearly outlined in Wednesday’s agreements:
In return, Kuleba assured that Ukraine is ready for talks with Russia if Moscow engages in serious negotiations. This undermines one of Beijing’s main arguments for its previous passivity. The Kremlin also stated on Wednesday that Ukraine’s willingness for talks aligns with Russia’s position, and further details need to be worked out.
One thing is clear: both sides could benefit enormously from this trip. For Ukraine, it’s about survival. For 28 months, they have resolutely resisted Russian attacks. However, signs of exhaustion are growing – not only in Ukraine but internationally:
China also has much at stake:
A comprehensive peace conference led by China would be a tremendous success for Beijing. At least theoretically, the chances are not too bad. Given its dependence on the PRC, Russia could hardly refuse a Chinese conference. Through Kuleba’s visit, Ukraine has reaffirmed its willingness and highlighted that China should play a leading role.
In line with this, China and Brazil published a joint six-point peace proposal in May, supporting a peace conference recognized by both warring parties. A first attempt in June in Switzerland did not impact the fighting because neither Russia nor China attended. With the potential election of Donald Trump in the US, Kyiv is pushing for a second international summit this year, ideally in a “Global South” country with China playing a leading role.
Recent events show China’s capability in mediating conflicts. This week, Beijing brought together the rival groups Hamas and Fatah. Last year, China mediated an agreement between the arch-enemies Iran and Saudi Arabia.
However, there are two significant differences with the Ukraine conflict:
China’s unique interpretation of neutrality is likely the biggest obstacle to peace. But in times of war and suffering, hope persists. Perhaps Kuleba and Wang will lay the foundation in the coming days for China to establish itself as a global peace power with success in the Ukraine conflict. This would be in the interest of the entire world – and notably for China and Ukraine.
Polish President Andrzej Duda has threatened to close the Małaszewicze rail border crossing to Belarus, a critical point for China’s land exports to Europe. According to Bloomberg, Duda hopes to pressure Beijing into influencing Belarus to stop the orchestrated migration flows onto Polish territory.
During his visit at the end of June, President Duda reportedly linked the issues of migration and goods transit at the Belarusian border. He threatened to effectively shut down the rail border crossing, which would cut off a vital route for Chinese exports to Europe.
Reports indicate that since this visit, the influx of migrants from Belarus to Poland has decreased by 70 percent. It appears Poland has found an effective diplomatic pressure point. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been using migrants as a tool to create unrest in Poland and the EU, assisting people in illegally crossing the EU’s external border. ari
When booking summer vacations, there’s a good chance you’ve used Booking.com before. The online travel agency based in the Netherlands is the clear market leader in Germany, followed by Expedia from the USA. However, a name that is increasingly appearing is Trip.com.
The company, led by the successful Chinese businesswoman Jane Sun and known as Ctrip in China, aims to shake up the international travel industry. In Asia, Trip.com has long been at the forefront, despite the intense competition among providers. Besides its main Chinese competitor, Qunar, Trip.com also faces platforms like MakeMyTrip, which is leading in India, as well as Rakuten and Recruit, which are particularly strong in Japan.
55-year-old Sun began her career at Trip.com in 2005 as CFO. She quickly rose to COO in 2012 and was eventually promoted to CEO in November 2016. This promotion coincided with Sun’s initiative to acquire the British platform Skyscanner, one of the world’s leading flight search engines. In 2017, Sun pushed for the rebranding to Trip.com for the international market, while maintaining the Ctrip brand in China.
Sun holds a bachelor’s degree from the Business School of the University of Florida and an LLM degree from the Law School of Peking University. Before joining Trip.com, she gained experience as an audit manager at KPMG in the US.
Under Sun’s leadership, Trip.com also successfully navigated difficult times, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company quickly recovered from the pandemic, and its stock in Hong Kong recently reached a record high.
Sun’s management skills have been widely recognized. Since 2017, she has been continuously listed as one of the 50 most powerful women in business by Fortune magazine. In 2018, Forbes named her one of the “Top 25 Rising Stars” of the Asian business world.
Gender equality is particularly important to Sin. In an interview with Yahoo Finance, she recently described several measures that Trip.com has introduced in this regard. These include free taxi rides for pregnant employees, a welcome gift of 800 dollars and an education allowance of 3,000 dollars for newborns, as well as flexible working hours for returning mothers. This is far from the norm in China.
Trip.com is also the first company in China to offer paid egg freezing for its female employees. This benefit is specifically aimed at the company’s senior executives and engineers. The egg freezing usually takes place abroad, as it is prohibited for unmarried women in China. The program aims to support women in their career development without having to choose between family and work. Joern Petring
The Olympic Games in Paris have not yet started. However, these swans on a lake in Suqian, Jiangsu Province, are already practicing synchronized swimming. Normally, most swans are solitary creatures. But when a lake becomes crowded and the population large, they can become more sociable and form colonies.
