Chinese Communist Party

"Companies want to do business, not politics"

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's) are hit heavier by Covid visa regulations than by sanctions between the EU and China, says Christian Sommer, head of the German Centre in Shanghai. Sanctions are of no use, he says, and decoupling does not make sense. Despite all this, China is still dependent on the presence of foreign companies and their employees. But there is no point in forcing Europe to choose between China and the USA. The German Centre is a positive example of how government and business can work together, says Sommer in an interview with Frank Sieren.

By Frank Sieren

A time when the party rejected Xi Jinping tenfold

It's a bit reminiscent of the rejection of the manuscript for Harry Potter by numerous publishers: When Xi Jinping wanted to join the Chinese Communist Party in the early 1970s, officials rejected his application for political reasons. Later, he had to cheat his way into university because he was not to be given a spot initially. An autobiography by the future head of state allows for fascinating insights into this time – and partly explains his way of thinking.

By Table.Briefings

One year of Hong Kong security law: companies under scrutiny

Hong Kong's National Security Act is not only of political nature, it offers Chinese companies concrete advantages over Western competitors. State-owned enterprises can invoke national interests in the event of a dispute. With this Hong Kong is finally losing its status as an oasis of the rule of law, warns Dennis Kwok. Kwok was an MP for the pro-democracy Civic Party and now lives in exile.

By Redaktion Table

Monika Hohlmeier - MEP with many anecdotes from China

By Redaktion Table

The tailors of the Red Capital

Xi Jinping did not simply wear a Mao-style jacket at his party anniversary appearance, but one with the exact same cut and hue as the original. Our columnist personally knows the tailor who makes these updated versions of the politically charged garment. The master tailor talked about the special requests that head of state Hu Jintao once made for his Gala Mao jacket.

By Table.Briefings

KP Chinas - From great power comes great responsibility

The Chinese Communist Party's economic record is historically mixed. To be sure, its greatest strength is mobilizing resources to invest in public goods. And China has made great strides economically and socially in recent decades. But historical blunders show that the CCP's interventions can also have disastrous consequences.

By Redaktion Table

China climbs to the top of middle-income countries

By Felix Lee

A new daily dilemma: a country between openness and surveillance

Today, on its 100th anniversary, the Communist leadership faces a major dilemma. It wants to consolidate its power and the order of the country. At the same time, it needs to allow more and more free-market economy since economic prosperity legitimizes its power. But this requires opening up to the world. The fact that this dilemma cannot be solved by ideological concepts, but in the end only by trial and error, was demonstrated by the reformer Deng Xiaoping. But it won't be any easier for the party to reconcile the two.

By Frank Sieren

Cai Xia – ideologist and defector

By Marcel Grzanna

Persecuted by Mao, revered like Mao: Xi's relationship with the great superfather

One of Germany's best-known journalists and a long-time China correspondent have joined forces to write the first comprehensive biography of Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of China. And its title also serves as a thesis: "Xi Jinping – the most powerful man in the world". China.Table exclusively publishes a chapter from the new book by Stefan Aust and Adrian Geiges.

By Redaktion Table