China is being surrounded. At least that’s how Beijing’s must feel. First, the US, the UK, and Australia agreed on a security pact directed at China. Then, on the very same day, the EU presents its Indo-Pacific strategy at long last. In addition, Japan’s navy has begun a large-scale maneuver off the Chinese coast. It almost seems as if there had been collusion. But this much communication between major nations would be too much to ask in this day and age. The timely proximity was a mere coincidence.
But those who become so clearly constrained at their coast swerve in the other direction. No wonder China is looking for new allies along the Silk Road in Central Asia. And it’s no wonder, either, that the foreign ministry in Beijing reacted quite peeved to the astonishingly parallel initiatives, as Amelie Richter reports. In any case, the increasingly official siege in the Pacific is not helping the country open up.
Conversely, China is currently doing everything in its power to deter visitors and expats. Western vaccinations are not approved for exemptions; the quarantine is particularly long; the hurdles for visiting family in Germany are higher than ever. In addition, a newfound nationalism and less favorable tax laws are vexing. Marcel Grzanna took a closer look at how this affects the German community. Settling in is currently even harder than usual, and worries are even greater. We give tips on how to deal with the situation.
Johnny Erling has taken this week off. So instead of his weekly column, today’s edition features a profile of Chen Qiufan, a science fiction author who focuses primarily on ecological issues. The best-selling author has probably done more to help people understand the gravity of ecological destruction than all United Nations studies combined. In his latest project, Chen now turns his attention to the dangers of artificial intelligence.
This is probably not what Brussels had in mind. Shortly before the presentation of the European Union’s long-announced Indo-Pacific strategy, Australia, the US and the UK are surprising the Europeans with their own security pact that also applies to the Pacific region. Australia’s participation is particularly painful. After all, the oceanic continent was supposed to be an important partner in the EU’s venture – and would even have been the largest in terms of area.
So instead of jointly responding to China’s growing power play, competing initiatives are suddenly underway. Australia’s motivation was presumably a bait-and-switch offer by the US: to help it build nuclear-powered submarines. The armaments heavyweight France, which has now had a multi-billion dollar submarine deal with Canberra ditched as a result, feels particularly bent out of shape.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian felt “angry and very bitter about this break-up.” He accused US President Biden of acting like his predecessor Donald Trump. “This brutal, unilateral, unpredictable decision looks very much like what Mr. Trump used to do,” Le Drian told radio station Franceinfo.
Brussels also had not received any prior information of any sort regarding the tripartite “Aukus” alliance. The EU, which wanted to pull its weight as a geopolitical player in the Indo-Pacific with the new strategy, was simply left out.
The EU is expressing consternation. “We were not consulted,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Thursday during the presentation of the paper. The Spaniard commented that he was certain that an agreement of such magnitude had not been worked out overnight. The EU chief diplomat, however, manages to put a positive spin on the matter: Aukus shows the importance of the region and thus also for the EU’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific region.
EU Council President Charles Michel also stressed that the bloc’s own strategy for the region was “needed more than ever”, which was underlined by the anglophone Aukus Pact. The strategy would also be discussed at the European Council in October, Michel announced.
Following an initial plan in April, the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) had identified seven areas in which the EU would like to increase its influence in the Indo-Pacific:
The EU wants to do everything in its power to secure the shipping lane through the South China Sea through military means. To this end, according to the strategy paper, the EU now wants to show an increased naval presence with warships and conduct “more joint military exercises” with its partners. Increased port calls in the region are also planned “to combat piracy and protect freedom of navigation”.
The Europeans are already on the move with two missions in the Indian Ocean region: With anti-piracy mission Atalanta off the Somali coast and with a training mission in Mozambique. Asian partner countries such as Japan, Pakistan, and India are also participating in Atalanta.
Another thing that will also displease Beijing: Taiwan is mentioned as an Indo-Pacific partner with which trade and investment agreements should be sought. The demand has so far come mainly from the European Parliament – but in practice, the EU Commission has not yet made any moves towards this goal. The EU Parliament repeated this request in a resolution adopted on Thursday on the reorientation of China policy. This now increases the pressure on the EU Commission to take concrete steps. MEPs also spoke out in favor of heightened commitment in the Indo-Pacific in its resolution (China.Table reported).
This strategy also includes the conclusion of trade negotiations with Australia, Indonesia, and New Zealand and a resumption of negotiations with India. In addition, green alliances and partnerships to counter climate change and environmental degradation are to be arranged, for example.
A sort of pilot digital cooperation is to be established with Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, based on existing agreements. Within this framework, standards for the use of artificial intelligence, for example, are to be developed “in accordance with democratic principles and fundamental rights”. More partnerships with nations throughout the region could follow, the strategy paper continues.
EU Foreign Affairs High Representative Borrell explained that the strategy should not be understood as a confrontation with China. It is about cooperation with like-minded states, the Spaniard repeatedly stressed.
The Anglo-Saxon trilateral security pact Aukus came as a real shock to the Europeans on Thursday. Canberra is to be supported in forming a fleet of initial eight nuclear-powered submarines, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced during a video conference with US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “We intend to build these submarines in Adelaide, Australia in close cooperation with the United Kingdom and the United States,” Morrison said. While the submarines will be nuclear-powered they won’t carry nuclear weapons. According to Morrison, consultations over the project’s implementation will be held over the next 18 months.
The three leaders also did not explicitly mention China during the announcement of their deal. They did, however, cite regional security concerns. “This initiative is about making sure that each of us has a modern capability, the most modern capabilities we need to maneuver and defend against rapidly evolving threats,” US President Biden said. Morrison said the new tripartite alliance should help address “challenges” in the “increasingly complex” Indo-Pacific region. Australia is also to receive new Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US.
A few hours after the announcement, Canberra canceled the $40 billion contract over a new fleet of submarines with the French shipping company Naval Group. It was considered one of the most lucrative defense deals to date. EU chief diplomat Borrell expressed sympathy for France’s disappointment – but stressed that confidence in the US or Australia should not be called into question as a result.
China’s embassy in Washington condemned the three-nation agreement. They “should not build exclusionary blocs targeting or harming the interests of third parties,” embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu told Reuters. “In particular, they should shake off their Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice.” According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, Aukus would “seriously undermine regional peace and stability, intensify the arms race, and harm international non-proliferation efforts.”
Analysts in Brussels, on the other hand, did not specifically consider the three-way push as undermining EU strategy: “The real question is whether a US-led pushback on the security side against China in the Indo-Pacific region is in Europe’s strategic interest – or not,” said Janka Oertel, director of the Asia Program at the European Council on Foreign Relations. If so, Aukus could be a valuable part of the EU’s strategy and complemented by Europe’s Indo-Pacific push, Oertel said. “If it is not, then Europe will have to come up with its own answers to credibly support regional partners – and do so quickly.” Europeans have not been very consistent so far in showing more than rhetorical solidarity with countries under pressure from Beijing, she added.
But there are other opinions: Australia turning to the US and UK was a “reality check on the EU’s geopolitical ambitions,” an EU diplomat told Politico. The EU and its member countries apparently did not appear to be “credible security partners” for the US and Australia. “We should not think too much of the Indo-Pacific strategy: The EU is not a player in the Pacific.”
Japan’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, welcomed the presentation of the EU strategy in his statement. It is in line with Japan’s views and efforts for a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said. The country has been conducting its most comprehensive military exercise in 30 years since Wednesday. The logistics exercise, involving some 100,000 troops, 20,000 ground vehicles, and 120 aircraft, is also intended to send a signal to China.
The Federal Foreign Office had already published its assessment of “one year of the Indo-Pacific Guidelines” earlier this week and praised the EU strategy. Among other things, the ministry cited the deployment of the frigate “Bavaria” as a success. On Wednesday, the frigate was officially banned from entering Shanghai by China. The ship has now been given a new route and a new stop: “Bayern” will stop for refueling in Darwin. This will give the frigate the second port of call in Australia after Perth.
For some new arrivals to China, the start of their new life has been extremely frustrating in recent months. The two-week Covid quarantine following the arrival in the People’s Republic was no surprise to anyone. But the conditions of forced isolation were in some cases more reminiscent of a reform school. The unlucky ones had to squat in a small room without windows for 14 days and were served bad food three times a day.
Such circumstances make it difficult not to lose optimism when starting to get along with the country and its people. “Since the outbreak of Covid, conditions for foreigners newly arriving in China have not become any easier. It’s a difficult start,” says Michaela Kobiolka, a Beijing resident for 14 years and something of a first port of call for those who don’t know what to expect in China.
Kobiolka is one of three women who run the so-called “Patengruppe”, a social network for the German-speaking community in Beijing. Patengruppe aims to welcome newcomers and at the same time is a gathering place for long-established residents. It organizes formal events and informal get-togethers, hikes over the Great Wall, cooking courses, or bike tours through Beijing’s old town.
Patengruppe is therefore also an offer of help to anyone who fears falling apart in a foreign country. “We offer support to female or male partners to help them emotionally adjust to China as quickly as possible and establish a new social network,” says Kobiolka. Especially after the summer holidays, many German companies send new staff from their headquarters to the People’s Republic.
It is important to the companies that the families of their employees accommodate to the country, so that management can plan with a fixed duration of the secondment abroad. But they also don’t want internal staff decisions to fail due to bickering family members. Kobiolka says she senses that many fellow expatriates quickly establish a certain trust with her. “Because I am a neutral person for them and just not a voice from their partner’s company.”
Some families move to China for three years, some for five. Others stay for decades, like Michaela Kobiolka. Hardly anyone has welcomed as many families to Beijing and said goodbye again as the 47-year-old. About 1200 families are currently on the mailing list of the Patengruppe, and several hundred are active members who regularly participate in the events offered. And despite the upswing that modern social constructs are currently experiencing in Germany, 95 percent of all contacts with Kobiolka are female. Women who accompany their spouses on their great professional adventures. Men who accompany their wives form a small minority, as do partners of same-sex couples.
The Covid pandemic has redefined the fears and concerns that German families bring with them to the People’s Republic. “What do I do in case of an emergency?” is often the first question new arrivals ask. Because while a return flight back home was still unproblematic two years ago and could be booked even at short notice, the airlines’ offer has now been greatly reduced.
This will not change until the Winter Olympics in five months, according to rumors in the German community. “Parents are increasingly concerned about their children not being able to find a social connection,” says Kobiolka. This is where the Patengruppe provides educational work and gives tips on where children can practice their favorite sports or which families share the same interests. But it is important that the newcomers are able to approach other people themselves, if necessary by jumping over their own shadows.
Experts confirm the organization’s observations. “That’s the crux for anyone who wants to feel comfortable abroad,” says psychologist and behavioral therapist Martin Daume, who helps people better navigate unfamiliar or uncomfortable situations through coaching. “But seeking conversation with strangers is not everyone’s cup of tea,” says Daume.
In personality psychology, the five-factor model defines the main dimensions of human behavioral styles. Openness and extraversion, as a tendency to sociability, help to make contacts. A lack of self-confidence (neuroticism), on the other hand, is a hindrance.
Nevertheless, the challenge remains the same for everyone. “Anyone who takes such a step abroad must, in order to find success and happiness, soften the structures they are used to in order to allow for change,” says Daume. This can be achieved, he says, by becoming aware of the effectiveness of one’s own actions. “If I believe that I will be efficient even when I am far away from home, then I have already begun to soften my structures.”
This principle applies practically everywhere. But of course, there is a difference between moving from Hamburg to Munich or from Hamburg to China. The supermarket in Munich looks the same as in Hamburg, and the staff speaks the same language. In the People’s Republic, on the other hand, even everyday encounters can lead to misunderstandings. The fear of such situations can have a paralyzing effect.
Michaela Kobiolka remembers her own low, a few months after arriving in Beijing. At the time, she would burst into tears at the thought that the “Altweiberfastnacht” (a popular German carnival) in her Rhineland home would take place without her. “That’s when homesickness hit me out of the blue,” she admits. Her early involvement in the Patengruppe and her own social network, away from her husband’s job, helped her overcome her emotional low. Today, the trained bank clerk says, “What I’m doing here in Beijing is more fulfilling than my job at the bank.“
To enable fellow travelers to have similar experiences, some companies provide training budgets for their partners. The German Chamber of Foreign Trade, for example, arranges training in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The Patenguppe in turn can arrange training as a personality trainer. Intensive Chinese courses are also popular to provide a solid basis for communicating with their hosts in their own language within one or two years.
German companies can only be happy about these many local offers. After all, the developments of recent years do not make it any easier to find families who want to spend part of their lives in China. Growing nationalism can be off-putting, new bureaucratic hurdles and complicated taxation are annoying, and one’s own security is apparently less guaranteed today than it was ten years ago. Many foreigners in China are troubled by the prison sentences against two Canadian citizens for alleged espionage. The West considers these verdicts as politically motivated. So the fear is that, in theory, it could happen to anyone.
In any case, the number of foreigners as a whole is declining in China. Jörg Wuttke, president of the European Chamber of Commerce, had estimated in an interview with China.Table that since 2019, half of the expats have already left the country in some areas. Of course, in the short term, the pandemic and China’s radical defensive measures are the main cause, but the other aspects also play their part. Beijing is now home to only about 62,000 foreigners, a few thousand of whom are German.
So the chances are not so bad that fellow travelers will at least get to know one or two people with whom they can form a deeper connection and thus gain greater self-confidence, especially when the Patengruppe arranges these connections. Kobiolka also works in international networks in Beijing and has a direct comparison with other nationalities or languages and what they offer their expat partners. Germany does comparatively well here. “Germans land comparatively soft,” she says.
Alongside Liu Cixin, Chen Qiufan is considered China’s most renowned science fiction authors. His debut novel “The Silicon Island”, set on a waste-contaminated island off the Chinese coast, asks uncomfortable questions that strike at the heart of modern Chinese society: How much growth can our environment sustain? How long can the gap between the rural poor and the wealthy metropolises widen without the provincial population demanding a bigger cut of resources? “It’s like we have a rope around our necks, and we’re pulling on it. And the more we pull on it, the less air we get,” a protagonist says in Qiufan’s eco-thriller. “But if we let go, we fall into a bottomless abyss and drown.”
In preparation for his book, the 39-year-old author from Shanghai settled for some time in the city of Guiyu. It was once one of the world’s largest dumping grounds for electronic waste. Such images should soon no longer be associated with China if state and party leader Xi Jinping has his way. The government wants to reconcile environmental protection, economic growth, and social stability. China is to be climate-neutral by 2060. To achieve this ambitious goal, Beijing is investing massively in wind power plants, bioplastics, e-mobility, hydrogen, and much more.
But all of this is barely scratching the surface, Chen says: “Technology may be a tool, but fundamentally it’s about our lifestyle, our philosophy, and the values we believe in.” For a long time, he says, China has been trying to copy the American lifestyle. But with 1.4 billion people, that just doesn’t work in the long run. “To me, science fiction is a powerful weapon to wake up citizens from their consumer dreams.”
Before turning writing into a career, Chen worked for tech companies. He has worked in marketing for Baidu and Google China, among others. Together with his former boss at Google, AI luminary Kai-Fu Lee, Chen is publishing a new book in mid-September called “AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future,” in which “science” and “fiction” are literally interwoven.
In it, Computer scientist and billionaire start-up investor Lee, who landed an international bestseller three years ago with “AI Superpowers,” analyzes the current state of the art, while Chen spins the possibilities of AI into ten visions of the future that revolve around “genetic palm reading,” the dangers of deepfake videos, or a completely contactless society. “The book embodies our hope for a future in which AI is empowering humanity rather than exploiting or enslaving it.”
There is still time to correct the “primitive” ethical standards of many tech companies, believes Chen, who spoke to experts from the entertainment industry, education, medicine, and blockchain technology for his book. “We need diverse perspectives, including from the humanities, to build consensus on the criteria for developing new technologies.”
Although the stories in “AI 2041” are set in different countries, the writer still considers his native China to be one of the most fertile grounds for implementing positive visions of the future: “Chinese society is based on the teachings of Confucius, which emphasize that individuals should follow a set role and appreciate what is given. As a result, we have achieved things in 40 years that would have taken countries centuries,” he writes. At the same time, he sees a strong willingness among people to act out as distinct individuals, to celebrate their uniqueness and exceptionality. “And that includes clothing styles and new leisure trends, as well as increasingly eco-friendly consumer habits.” Fabian Peltsch
A Long March 7 rocket stands ready at the Wenchang Spaceport on the Island of Hainan. It is to carry an unmanned Tianzhou cargo spacecraft into orbit, where it will dock with the Tiangong space station. This is the second cargo mission to Tiangong (“Heavenly Palace”). Meanwhile, in space, the Shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft has detached from the Tiangong. It is now on its way back to Earth with three Taikonauts on board. They were in space for 90 days. Xi Jinping himself stressed, “A country’s strategic space assets must be well managed, well used, and well protected.” He added that space traffic must be “stable and orderly.” That almost sounds like he manages a highway leading directly to the Heavenly Palace.
China is being surrounded. At least that’s how Beijing’s must feel. First, the US, the UK, and Australia agreed on a security pact directed at China. Then, on the very same day, the EU presents its Indo-Pacific strategy at long last. In addition, Japan’s navy has begun a large-scale maneuver off the Chinese coast. It almost seems as if there had been collusion. But this much communication between major nations would be too much to ask in this day and age. The timely proximity was a mere coincidence.
But those who become so clearly constrained at their coast swerve in the other direction. No wonder China is looking for new allies along the Silk Road in Central Asia. And it’s no wonder, either, that the foreign ministry in Beijing reacted quite peeved to the astonishingly parallel initiatives, as Amelie Richter reports. In any case, the increasingly official siege in the Pacific is not helping the country open up.
Conversely, China is currently doing everything in its power to deter visitors and expats. Western vaccinations are not approved for exemptions; the quarantine is particularly long; the hurdles for visiting family in Germany are higher than ever. In addition, a newfound nationalism and less favorable tax laws are vexing. Marcel Grzanna took a closer look at how this affects the German community. Settling in is currently even harder than usual, and worries are even greater. We give tips on how to deal with the situation.
Johnny Erling has taken this week off. So instead of his weekly column, today’s edition features a profile of Chen Qiufan, a science fiction author who focuses primarily on ecological issues. The best-selling author has probably done more to help people understand the gravity of ecological destruction than all United Nations studies combined. In his latest project, Chen now turns his attention to the dangers of artificial intelligence.
This is probably not what Brussels had in mind. Shortly before the presentation of the European Union’s long-announced Indo-Pacific strategy, Australia, the US and the UK are surprising the Europeans with their own security pact that also applies to the Pacific region. Australia’s participation is particularly painful. After all, the oceanic continent was supposed to be an important partner in the EU’s venture – and would even have been the largest in terms of area.
So instead of jointly responding to China’s growing power play, competing initiatives are suddenly underway. Australia’s motivation was presumably a bait-and-switch offer by the US: to help it build nuclear-powered submarines. The armaments heavyweight France, which has now had a multi-billion dollar submarine deal with Canberra ditched as a result, feels particularly bent out of shape.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian felt “angry and very bitter about this break-up.” He accused US President Biden of acting like his predecessor Donald Trump. “This brutal, unilateral, unpredictable decision looks very much like what Mr. Trump used to do,” Le Drian told radio station Franceinfo.
Brussels also had not received any prior information of any sort regarding the tripartite “Aukus” alliance. The EU, which wanted to pull its weight as a geopolitical player in the Indo-Pacific with the new strategy, was simply left out.
The EU is expressing consternation. “We were not consulted,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Thursday during the presentation of the paper. The Spaniard commented that he was certain that an agreement of such magnitude had not been worked out overnight. The EU chief diplomat, however, manages to put a positive spin on the matter: Aukus shows the importance of the region and thus also for the EU’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific region.
EU Council President Charles Michel also stressed that the bloc’s own strategy for the region was “needed more than ever”, which was underlined by the anglophone Aukus Pact. The strategy would also be discussed at the European Council in October, Michel announced.
Following an initial plan in April, the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) had identified seven areas in which the EU would like to increase its influence in the Indo-Pacific:
The EU wants to do everything in its power to secure the shipping lane through the South China Sea through military means. To this end, according to the strategy paper, the EU now wants to show an increased naval presence with warships and conduct “more joint military exercises” with its partners. Increased port calls in the region are also planned “to combat piracy and protect freedom of navigation”.
The Europeans are already on the move with two missions in the Indian Ocean region: With anti-piracy mission Atalanta off the Somali coast and with a training mission in Mozambique. Asian partner countries such as Japan, Pakistan, and India are also participating in Atalanta.
Another thing that will also displease Beijing: Taiwan is mentioned as an Indo-Pacific partner with which trade and investment agreements should be sought. The demand has so far come mainly from the European Parliament – but in practice, the EU Commission has not yet made any moves towards this goal. The EU Parliament repeated this request in a resolution adopted on Thursday on the reorientation of China policy. This now increases the pressure on the EU Commission to take concrete steps. MEPs also spoke out in favor of heightened commitment in the Indo-Pacific in its resolution (China.Table reported).
This strategy also includes the conclusion of trade negotiations with Australia, Indonesia, and New Zealand and a resumption of negotiations with India. In addition, green alliances and partnerships to counter climate change and environmental degradation are to be arranged, for example.
A sort of pilot digital cooperation is to be established with Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, based on existing agreements. Within this framework, standards for the use of artificial intelligence, for example, are to be developed “in accordance with democratic principles and fundamental rights”. More partnerships with nations throughout the region could follow, the strategy paper continues.
EU Foreign Affairs High Representative Borrell explained that the strategy should not be understood as a confrontation with China. It is about cooperation with like-minded states, the Spaniard repeatedly stressed.
The Anglo-Saxon trilateral security pact Aukus came as a real shock to the Europeans on Thursday. Canberra is to be supported in forming a fleet of initial eight nuclear-powered submarines, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced during a video conference with US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “We intend to build these submarines in Adelaide, Australia in close cooperation with the United Kingdom and the United States,” Morrison said. While the submarines will be nuclear-powered they won’t carry nuclear weapons. According to Morrison, consultations over the project’s implementation will be held over the next 18 months.
The three leaders also did not explicitly mention China during the announcement of their deal. They did, however, cite regional security concerns. “This initiative is about making sure that each of us has a modern capability, the most modern capabilities we need to maneuver and defend against rapidly evolving threats,” US President Biden said. Morrison said the new tripartite alliance should help address “challenges” in the “increasingly complex” Indo-Pacific region. Australia is also to receive new Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US.
A few hours after the announcement, Canberra canceled the $40 billion contract over a new fleet of submarines with the French shipping company Naval Group. It was considered one of the most lucrative defense deals to date. EU chief diplomat Borrell expressed sympathy for France’s disappointment – but stressed that confidence in the US or Australia should not be called into question as a result.
China’s embassy in Washington condemned the three-nation agreement. They “should not build exclusionary blocs targeting or harming the interests of third parties,” embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu told Reuters. “In particular, they should shake off their Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice.” According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, Aukus would “seriously undermine regional peace and stability, intensify the arms race, and harm international non-proliferation efforts.”
Analysts in Brussels, on the other hand, did not specifically consider the three-way push as undermining EU strategy: “The real question is whether a US-led pushback on the security side against China in the Indo-Pacific region is in Europe’s strategic interest – or not,” said Janka Oertel, director of the Asia Program at the European Council on Foreign Relations. If so, Aukus could be a valuable part of the EU’s strategy and complemented by Europe’s Indo-Pacific push, Oertel said. “If it is not, then Europe will have to come up with its own answers to credibly support regional partners – and do so quickly.” Europeans have not been very consistent so far in showing more than rhetorical solidarity with countries under pressure from Beijing, she added.
But there are other opinions: Australia turning to the US and UK was a “reality check on the EU’s geopolitical ambitions,” an EU diplomat told Politico. The EU and its member countries apparently did not appear to be “credible security partners” for the US and Australia. “We should not think too much of the Indo-Pacific strategy: The EU is not a player in the Pacific.”
Japan’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, welcomed the presentation of the EU strategy in his statement. It is in line with Japan’s views and efforts for a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said. The country has been conducting its most comprehensive military exercise in 30 years since Wednesday. The logistics exercise, involving some 100,000 troops, 20,000 ground vehicles, and 120 aircraft, is also intended to send a signal to China.
The Federal Foreign Office had already published its assessment of “one year of the Indo-Pacific Guidelines” earlier this week and praised the EU strategy. Among other things, the ministry cited the deployment of the frigate “Bavaria” as a success. On Wednesday, the frigate was officially banned from entering Shanghai by China. The ship has now been given a new route and a new stop: “Bayern” will stop for refueling in Darwin. This will give the frigate the second port of call in Australia after Perth.
For some new arrivals to China, the start of their new life has been extremely frustrating in recent months. The two-week Covid quarantine following the arrival in the People’s Republic was no surprise to anyone. But the conditions of forced isolation were in some cases more reminiscent of a reform school. The unlucky ones had to squat in a small room without windows for 14 days and were served bad food three times a day.
Such circumstances make it difficult not to lose optimism when starting to get along with the country and its people. “Since the outbreak of Covid, conditions for foreigners newly arriving in China have not become any easier. It’s a difficult start,” says Michaela Kobiolka, a Beijing resident for 14 years and something of a first port of call for those who don’t know what to expect in China.
Kobiolka is one of three women who run the so-called “Patengruppe”, a social network for the German-speaking community in Beijing. Patengruppe aims to welcome newcomers and at the same time is a gathering place for long-established residents. It organizes formal events and informal get-togethers, hikes over the Great Wall, cooking courses, or bike tours through Beijing’s old town.
Patengruppe is therefore also an offer of help to anyone who fears falling apart in a foreign country. “We offer support to female or male partners to help them emotionally adjust to China as quickly as possible and establish a new social network,” says Kobiolka. Especially after the summer holidays, many German companies send new staff from their headquarters to the People’s Republic.
It is important to the companies that the families of their employees accommodate to the country, so that management can plan with a fixed duration of the secondment abroad. But they also don’t want internal staff decisions to fail due to bickering family members. Kobiolka says she senses that many fellow expatriates quickly establish a certain trust with her. “Because I am a neutral person for them and just not a voice from their partner’s company.”
Some families move to China for three years, some for five. Others stay for decades, like Michaela Kobiolka. Hardly anyone has welcomed as many families to Beijing and said goodbye again as the 47-year-old. About 1200 families are currently on the mailing list of the Patengruppe, and several hundred are active members who regularly participate in the events offered. And despite the upswing that modern social constructs are currently experiencing in Germany, 95 percent of all contacts with Kobiolka are female. Women who accompany their spouses on their great professional adventures. Men who accompany their wives form a small minority, as do partners of same-sex couples.
The Covid pandemic has redefined the fears and concerns that German families bring with them to the People’s Republic. “What do I do in case of an emergency?” is often the first question new arrivals ask. Because while a return flight back home was still unproblematic two years ago and could be booked even at short notice, the airlines’ offer has now been greatly reduced.
This will not change until the Winter Olympics in five months, according to rumors in the German community. “Parents are increasingly concerned about their children not being able to find a social connection,” says Kobiolka. This is where the Patengruppe provides educational work and gives tips on where children can practice their favorite sports or which families share the same interests. But it is important that the newcomers are able to approach other people themselves, if necessary by jumping over their own shadows.
Experts confirm the organization’s observations. “That’s the crux for anyone who wants to feel comfortable abroad,” says psychologist and behavioral therapist Martin Daume, who helps people better navigate unfamiliar or uncomfortable situations through coaching. “But seeking conversation with strangers is not everyone’s cup of tea,” says Daume.
In personality psychology, the five-factor model defines the main dimensions of human behavioral styles. Openness and extraversion, as a tendency to sociability, help to make contacts. A lack of self-confidence (neuroticism), on the other hand, is a hindrance.
Nevertheless, the challenge remains the same for everyone. “Anyone who takes such a step abroad must, in order to find success and happiness, soften the structures they are used to in order to allow for change,” says Daume. This can be achieved, he says, by becoming aware of the effectiveness of one’s own actions. “If I believe that I will be efficient even when I am far away from home, then I have already begun to soften my structures.”
This principle applies practically everywhere. But of course, there is a difference between moving from Hamburg to Munich or from Hamburg to China. The supermarket in Munich looks the same as in Hamburg, and the staff speaks the same language. In the People’s Republic, on the other hand, even everyday encounters can lead to misunderstandings. The fear of such situations can have a paralyzing effect.
Michaela Kobiolka remembers her own low, a few months after arriving in Beijing. At the time, she would burst into tears at the thought that the “Altweiberfastnacht” (a popular German carnival) in her Rhineland home would take place without her. “That’s when homesickness hit me out of the blue,” she admits. Her early involvement in the Patengruppe and her own social network, away from her husband’s job, helped her overcome her emotional low. Today, the trained bank clerk says, “What I’m doing here in Beijing is more fulfilling than my job at the bank.“
To enable fellow travelers to have similar experiences, some companies provide training budgets for their partners. The German Chamber of Foreign Trade, for example, arranges training in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The Patenguppe in turn can arrange training as a personality trainer. Intensive Chinese courses are also popular to provide a solid basis for communicating with their hosts in their own language within one or two years.
German companies can only be happy about these many local offers. After all, the developments of recent years do not make it any easier to find families who want to spend part of their lives in China. Growing nationalism can be off-putting, new bureaucratic hurdles and complicated taxation are annoying, and one’s own security is apparently less guaranteed today than it was ten years ago. Many foreigners in China are troubled by the prison sentences against two Canadian citizens for alleged espionage. The West considers these verdicts as politically motivated. So the fear is that, in theory, it could happen to anyone.
In any case, the number of foreigners as a whole is declining in China. Jörg Wuttke, president of the European Chamber of Commerce, had estimated in an interview with China.Table that since 2019, half of the expats have already left the country in some areas. Of course, in the short term, the pandemic and China’s radical defensive measures are the main cause, but the other aspects also play their part. Beijing is now home to only about 62,000 foreigners, a few thousand of whom are German.
So the chances are not so bad that fellow travelers will at least get to know one or two people with whom they can form a deeper connection and thus gain greater self-confidence, especially when the Patengruppe arranges these connections. Kobiolka also works in international networks in Beijing and has a direct comparison with other nationalities or languages and what they offer their expat partners. Germany does comparatively well here. “Germans land comparatively soft,” she says.
Alongside Liu Cixin, Chen Qiufan is considered China’s most renowned science fiction authors. His debut novel “The Silicon Island”, set on a waste-contaminated island off the Chinese coast, asks uncomfortable questions that strike at the heart of modern Chinese society: How much growth can our environment sustain? How long can the gap between the rural poor and the wealthy metropolises widen without the provincial population demanding a bigger cut of resources? “It’s like we have a rope around our necks, and we’re pulling on it. And the more we pull on it, the less air we get,” a protagonist says in Qiufan’s eco-thriller. “But if we let go, we fall into a bottomless abyss and drown.”
In preparation for his book, the 39-year-old author from Shanghai settled for some time in the city of Guiyu. It was once one of the world’s largest dumping grounds for electronic waste. Such images should soon no longer be associated with China if state and party leader Xi Jinping has his way. The government wants to reconcile environmental protection, economic growth, and social stability. China is to be climate-neutral by 2060. To achieve this ambitious goal, Beijing is investing massively in wind power plants, bioplastics, e-mobility, hydrogen, and much more.
But all of this is barely scratching the surface, Chen says: “Technology may be a tool, but fundamentally it’s about our lifestyle, our philosophy, and the values we believe in.” For a long time, he says, China has been trying to copy the American lifestyle. But with 1.4 billion people, that just doesn’t work in the long run. “To me, science fiction is a powerful weapon to wake up citizens from their consumer dreams.”
Before turning writing into a career, Chen worked for tech companies. He has worked in marketing for Baidu and Google China, among others. Together with his former boss at Google, AI luminary Kai-Fu Lee, Chen is publishing a new book in mid-September called “AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future,” in which “science” and “fiction” are literally interwoven.
In it, Computer scientist and billionaire start-up investor Lee, who landed an international bestseller three years ago with “AI Superpowers,” analyzes the current state of the art, while Chen spins the possibilities of AI into ten visions of the future that revolve around “genetic palm reading,” the dangers of deepfake videos, or a completely contactless society. “The book embodies our hope for a future in which AI is empowering humanity rather than exploiting or enslaving it.”
There is still time to correct the “primitive” ethical standards of many tech companies, believes Chen, who spoke to experts from the entertainment industry, education, medicine, and blockchain technology for his book. “We need diverse perspectives, including from the humanities, to build consensus on the criteria for developing new technologies.”
Although the stories in “AI 2041” are set in different countries, the writer still considers his native China to be one of the most fertile grounds for implementing positive visions of the future: “Chinese society is based on the teachings of Confucius, which emphasize that individuals should follow a set role and appreciate what is given. As a result, we have achieved things in 40 years that would have taken countries centuries,” he writes. At the same time, he sees a strong willingness among people to act out as distinct individuals, to celebrate their uniqueness and exceptionality. “And that includes clothing styles and new leisure trends, as well as increasingly eco-friendly consumer habits.” Fabian Peltsch
A Long March 7 rocket stands ready at the Wenchang Spaceport on the Island of Hainan. It is to carry an unmanned Tianzhou cargo spacecraft into orbit, where it will dock with the Tiangong space station. This is the second cargo mission to Tiangong (“Heavenly Palace”). Meanwhile, in space, the Shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft has detached from the Tiangong. It is now on its way back to Earth with three Taikonauts on board. They were in space for 90 days. Xi Jinping himself stressed, “A country’s strategic space assets must be well managed, well used, and well protected.” He added that space traffic must be “stable and orderly.” That almost sounds like he manages a highway leading directly to the Heavenly Palace.
