The Party is always right, and Xi Jinping is its most important leader by far, even ahead of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. These are the main messages that the patient reader will take away from the newly published "short" history of the Chinese Communist Party. It has over 500 pages.
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The US made it clear that it will not compromise on climate policy cooperation with China on the contentious issues of Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The tensions between the two countries so far prevented them from agreeing to binding climate commitments. Nevertheless, in the coming years, both countries will have to be judged on how they translate climate policy promises into action.
By Redaktion Table
Complaints about counterfeits are part of everyday life in the China business. Yet most expats are unaware of one of the most spectacular imitations: Mao Zedong once even had the Tian'anmen Gate secretly torn down and rebuilt. For a long time, no one doubted the copy's authenticity. But 87 centimeters of height difference betrayed the secret.
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China's coal phase-out has so far been little more than lip service. The country builds and plans a large number of fossil-fuel power plants and invests in corresponding projects worldwide. Even worse, foreign investors continue to pour money into China's coal industry projects. German financial firms are among them.
By Redaktion Table
China's new digital renminbi by itself will not help the currency to challenge the US dollar's global dominance. Its true significance instead lies in its potential to shift the competitive balance of power between the country's technology giants and traditional banks.
By Redaktion Table
The Middle Kingdom is playing its trump cards in space travel. That's what many headlines say. China's taikonauts (after the word taikong 太空 for outer space) are on the verge of moving into their own celestial palace (Tiangong 天宫) in space in 2022, just before US astronauts and Russian cosmonauts have to vacate their outdated International Space Station (ISS). China's Fairy (Zhang'e 嫦娥) returned to the moon, where she has her cute Jade Rabbit (Yutu 玉兔) exploring the far side as a rover. Starting mid-May, Fire God (Zhu Rong 祝融) will help explore Mars as the second rover. The People's Republic, a latecomer to space, is reshuffling its space cards with traditional folklore – loosely based on Confucius: "The superior man can determine the terms and turn his words into deeds."
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Many economists care more about China’s per capita GDP, or income per person, than the aggregate measure. The key takeaway is that China remains a poor country, despite its phenomenal headline economic growth over the past four decades.
By Redaktion Table
Members of the highest party elite are present in China's media every day. But as soon as they retire, they disappear completely from the public eye overnight. Even ex-party leaders are no longer allowed to show themselves or be heard from without permission from the Politburo. The once all-powerful control freaks are now monitored and censored by their successors. Some see this as poetic justice.
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The US government calls what is happening in China's Xinjiang province genocide. It should not, according to Jeffrey D. Sachs and William Schabas. They argue that international law has established criteria for genocide and required evidence before allegations of genocide are made. However, in the authors' view, this evidence has not been provided. They call on the US government to support an independent investigation by the United Nations in the Uyghur region.
By Antje Sirleschtov
LFP as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries once marked the beginning of an emerging Chinese battery industry. Now, first Tesla boss Elon Musk and then Volkswagen have announced their intention to rely more on LFP in the future. The main reasons for this are cost pressure, raw material availability, and expiring patents. And once again, Chinese companies could benefit from the trend.
By Amelie Richter
