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Jan Hecker was one of Angela Merkel's closest confidants. The Chancellor purposely sent her chief foreign policy advisor to Beijing, so that Germany would be represented by an experienced and decisive diplomat. Hecker has now passed unexpectedly after only a few days in office.
By Michael Radunski
Michael Schaefer looks back on many aspects of the German-Chinese exchange: he was both German ambassador to Beijing and head of a major charitable foundation in Germany. In an interview with China.Table, he explains why dialogue is currently floundering – and what paths can lead out of this impasse. Schaefer was one of the initiators of "Zukunftsbrücke – Chinese-German Young Professional Campus", which celebrated its tenth anniversary this weekend with an event in Berlin. Finn Mayer-Kuckuk spoke with Schaefer.
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China's new ambassador to the US, Qin Gang, sends a conciliatory signal at the beginning of his term in office with a message of greeting to a panda bear. But when it comes to COVID-19, it becomes clear that this new ambassador is also able to display a fierce attitude towards Washington. After all, unlike diplomats of democratic systems, Qin enjoys considerably less leeway in his work.
By Marcel Grzanna
The Cultural Revolution did not stop for China's diplomats and Chinese journalists abroad. Mao and the CCP learned from Western sympathizers about the supposed bourgeois and opulent lifestyle of its envoys. A letter from the Austrian Marxist-Leninists pleased Mao in particular. The consequence: a third of all diplomatic service staff were ordered back to China and had to face criticism.
By Table.Briefings
The visit of US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to Tianjin was supposed to prevent any misunderstandings with China. But instead, the People's Republic is using the meeting for a verbal frontal attack. But Beijing is pursuing a larger goal.
By Michael Radunski