Despite zero-Covid and geopolitical tensions, BASF opens its new plant in China. The chemical giant will invest a total of around €10 billion. It is the largest investment by a German company in the People's Republic.
By Redaktion Table
Industry and politics would be ecstatic if this were to happen: There is talk of a potential plant of Taiwanese chip giant TSMC in the EU. A possible site in Germany also seems possible, which would especially please the automotive industry. Companies are longing for greater stability of supplies.
By Redaktion Table
Since 2020, European finance ministers have unsuccessfully tried to agree on a future EU fiscal policy. The Czech presidency now wants to push the discussion forward, and the IMF is also pushing for a quick solution. This weekend, the ministers will meet informally in Prague.
By Redaktion Table
Ahead of the energy ministers' meeting, Commission president Ursula von der Leyen explained the emergency plan against high energy costs. A price cap for Russian gas could come very quickly. President Vladimir Putin responded by threatening a complete supply stop.
By Manuel Berkel
Discussions are currently underway in Berlin and Brussels: How should the representation of interests be made even more transparent in the future? The systems function very differently – and yet they interlock.
By Falk Steiner
Officially, the Chinese government's position is to open itself to the world. In reality, however, it has launched a decoupling from the West on numerous levels, which is distancing the People's Republic further and further from the rest of the world economically, culturally and socially. A deliberate side effect is the continuously growing nationalism.
By Marcel Grzanna
Communications equipment supplier Ericsson has had to post severe losses in China thanks to the exclusion of Huawei from the 5G rollout in Sweden. However, despite technical problems and political tensions, Ericsson has no intention of being forced out of the Chinese market. The Chinese market is too important for that.
By Frank Sieren
Italy scrutinizes investments from China relatively strictly. Several Chinese projects have been blocked in recent years. After the parliamentary elections on September 25, however, this trend could intensify significantly. This is because the poll-leading right-wing populist alliance around Giorgia Meloni is highly critical of close ties with China.
By Amelie Richter
Liz Truss is the UK's new prime minister. She has taken a hard line toward China after a shift in sentiment in the United Kingdom. She might classify the country as a "threat" and the events in Xinjiang as "genocide" – a departure from the policy of her predecessors. At the same time, however, she remains dependent on trade with China.
By Michael Radunski
After pressure from multiple sides, the controversial Confucius Institutes began to close in the US in 2020. More than 100 of the language and cultural institutions officially ceased their work in recent years. Now, it seems, some of them are back – just with a new name and a new look.
By Amelie Richter
