The state continues to intimidate China’s artists through a series of arrests and threats. These incidents show that the leadership cares less than ever about the advantages of a free society. Meanwhile, criteria for the evaluation of art that were believed to have been overcome are returning to the fore: Maintaining respect for socialist leaders […]
Mr. Buruma, in 2022, you wrote in the New York Times that Joe Biden represented the “setting sun of Pax Americana” and should make way for a younger Democrat. This idea seems to be fulfilled with the nomination of Kamala Harris.Biden is a defender of the status quo: the US as the military protector of […]
The Chinese government proposed a new bill this month to simplify marriage registration. Under the new law, couples can apply for marriage anywhere in the country using their passport. Previously, this required an official household registration, known as a hukou. This meant that people could only get married where they were registered.If the law is […]
In its latest China report, the IMF has identified inconsistencies in the People’s Republic’s trade balance. There is more to this than just dry statistics – the discrepancies could have a major impact on the global economy, reports Marcel Grzanna.This means that China artificially understates its trade surplus. The trick used is simple: Products that […]
China has fined seven logistics and cooking oil companies. The companies are involved in a scandal involving contaminated cooking oil. The incident caused a nationwide uproar last month. As the media reported in July, tank trucks transporting chemicals and coal oil were also used to transport soya oil, cooking oil, and syrup without adequate cleaning.Following […]
The recently released computer role-playing game “Black Myth: Wukong” (picture right), developed in China, is already considered a milestone with its stunning graphics. Sun Wukong, the eponymous monkey king from the famous novel “Journey to the West,” has long been an evergreen in China’s pop culture.Almost every generation has its own Wukong hero stored in […]
The auditing firm PwC has lost its largest listed client in mainland China, the Bank of China, to its competitor EY. The state-owned bank had announced in March that it would reappoint PwC as its auditor until 2024 – but in a report filed on Monday, it said it wanted to appoint EY instead. The […]
In the case of rare earths and chemical precursors for medicines, our mistakes and risks associated with our dependence on China are well known. Less well-known is our dependence on cellulose nitrate. This is an essential ingredient for the production of gunpowder, which is extracted from cotton. This is why the raw material is also […]
As reported by “Manager Magazin”, citing insiders, the e-car manufacturer BYD intends to end its cooperation with the Swedish importer Hedin in Germany. According to the report, the company plans to organize sales itself from Oct. 1. BYD had started European sales with Hedin as a partner in summer 2022. In Germany, Hedin had agreements […]