Feature • Table.Briefings

January 5th, 2026

Venezuela: 26 EU member states criticize U.S.

Washington’s military strike marks the initial culmination of an escalating conflict with Venezuela. Brussels issued its first joint response on Sunday evening.

By Ferdinand Muggenthaler

Feature | Defense industry

January 5th, 2026

ASD Secretary General Camille Grand: Why personnel from civilian industries can strengthen the defense sector

The European defense industry’s need for arms will continue even after a possible end to the war in Ukraine. This is what Camille Grand, Secretary General of the European Aerospace, Security and Defense Industries Association (ASD), said in an interview.

By Stephan Israel

Feature | Venezuela

January 5th, 2026

Venezuela: The role of oil reserves in the U.S. intervention

Washington’s military strike marks the initial culmination of an escalating conflict with Venezuela. What is unclear is how U.S. President Donald Trump intends to run the country politically in future — but not his interest in its huge oil reserves.

By Ferdinand Muggenthaler

Feature | Trade

January 4th, 2026

Review: China news from the holiday period

From large-scale military drills around Taiwan and Xi Jinping’s technology push to new AI regulations and escalating trade disputes: China.Table provides a news roundup of key developments during the days between Christmas and New Year.

By Redaktion Table

Feature | Geopolitics

January 4th, 2026

Venezuela: What Trump’s strike in Caracas means for Beijing

China is facing a delicate balancing act between geopolitical positioning and hard economic interests in Venezuela. The US military action puts Beijing in a bind: It must protect its outstanding loans and its renminbi ambitions without jeopardizing its broader standing.

By Amelie Richter

Feature | Communist Party of China

January 4th, 2026

Domestic fault lines: Xi steers through deep contradictions

With the new year, the power struggle within China’s political elite over the planned generational transition in party leadership begins in earnest. A successor to Xi Jinping is nowhere in sight – by design.

By Andreas Landwehr

Feature | Culture

December 23rd, 2025

China.Table special: Our podcast picks for the holiday break

Since our last recommendations at the end of 2023, several new podcasts about China have launched or appeared on our radar. In the editorial team, we listened closely, debated and curated. You can read what we recommend here.

By Redaktion Table

Feature | Culture

December 23rd, 2025

From the community: Cultural highlights that made 2025 stand out

From books and essays to climate studies, 2025 once again showed just how diverse – and how relevant – the China debate has become. Members of our community share their personal highlights.

By Redaktion Table

Feature | Ministry of Economic Affairs

December 23rd, 2025

Energy transition monitoring: Why the BMWE justification for changes to the report is not convincing

The German Ministry of Economics has provided an explanation as to why a key monitoring report on the energy transition was changed in several places shortly before its publication. However, this contradicts internal emails.

By Malte Kreutzfeldt

A worker operates an oil well at the Urucu Oil and Gas Production Field in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, on Oct. 16, 2025. The Urucu Oil and Gas Production Field, located in the heart of Brazil s Amazonas state, is one of the country s most important onshore oil and gas production bases. Surrounded by pristine rainforest, it has operated steadily since its start-up in 1988, supplying oil and natural gas that support energy needs across northern Brazil. According to its operator Petrobras, the field has preserved about 98 percent of its area as native forest, carries out rainwater recycling, waste recovery, and reforestation programs and plants more than 1.5 million native trees.

Feature | Climate policy

December 23rd, 2025

Review 2025: The missed opportunities of climate policy

Rarely in recent years has climate action faced as much pressure as it has in 2025, both in Germany and internationally. The United States is leading a political rollback: Fossil fuel projects are becoming more attractive, while warnings from the scientific community are being ignored.

By Bernhard Pötter