China is unlikely to introduce a purchase tax on EVs. The annual inter-governmental working conference on electric mobility development plans to consider an extension and expansion of the tax incentive policy, reports consulting agency Trivium China. The declared goal is to “stabilize market expectations.”In 2021 and again this year, buyers of electric cars, plug-in hybrids, […]
How do you positively present waning optimism? With a hybrid statement: “Business outlook positive – unequal treatment and localization challenge German companies in China” That’s the headline of this year’s business confidence survey of German companies operating in China by the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHK Greater China). “Realism replaced strong positivity,” the survey […]
When we think of import dependency, one very specific resource comes to mind: crude oil. The People’s Republic of China has been the world’s largest oil importer since 2017. And the gap between a stagnating domestic production volume and the ever-growing demand is widening. As if that were not enough, oil is not the only […]
The first trading cycle of the Chinese national carbon trading scheme has been completed: Time to take stock. And the results are mixed. On the positive side, the system started successfully: Trading of CO2 emission allowances has been underway on the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange (SEEE) since mid-July. But even though there have been […]
China is also struggling to find the most efficient regulations for the shift to climate neutrality. The transformation of the energy sector and heavy industry are the most difficult challenges. Currently, it looks as if one part of the Chinese leadership is stepping on the gas while the other one is pulling the brake. Over […]
As expected for some time now, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone conference. According to official statements, both pleaded for deeper cooperation during their talk on Tuesday. Xi also argued that regional problems should be solved through dialogue and that a “Cold War mentality” should be firmly rejected, according […]
China has connected a fourth-generation nuclear reactor to the power grid for the first time. This makes the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) at the Shidaowan nuclear power plant in the province of Shandong currently the only one of its kind in commercial operation worldwide. The reactor was developed and built by the state-owned power giants […]
The veto powers China and Russia have rejected “humanitarian exceptions” on a case-by-case basis in the UN Security Council’s sanctions regime against the radical Islamic Taliban. The stumbling block for Beijing and Moscow was a paragraph in the draft resolution tabled by the US, reports AFP, citing diplomats. This paragraph should allow the committee responsible […]
It will be the world’s largest free-trade region to date outside the World Trade Organization (WTO): The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) of the Southeast Asian confederation ASEAN together with China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Since a set minimum number of member states had ratified the RCEP treaty by mid-November, it is […]
China has been the world’s largest importer of oil for quite some time. Since 2018, it has also imported more natural gas than any other country. Liquefied natural gas is taking an increasingly large share. And so by 2021, China could also overtake Japan as the largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG). This fall, […]