Author

Jörn Petring

Jörn Petring Published: April 13th, 2025

Tariffs: Šefčovič in Washington – Trump temporarily exempts smartphones.

EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is in Washington this Monday for renewed talks on the tariff conflict. At the meeting with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, he will attempt to get the largely fruitless negotiations moving. Last Wednesday, President Donald Trump gave 90 days for negotiations, a part of […]

Jörn Petring Published: April 13th, 2025

Apple: Why the company will not leave China

US President Donald Trump made his first significant backtrack in the tariff dispute with China on Friday evening. The US government announced that smartphones, computers and other electronic devices will be exempt from the latest punitive US tariffs on Chinese goods for the moment. On Sunday, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce called the move a […]

Jörn Petring Published: April 10th, 2025

E-commerce: US tariffs strike at the heart of the billion-dollar market

The Chinese gold mine of cheap goods is at risk of going under in the tariff war with the United States. American import tariffs strike at the heart of the billion-dollar market, shaking the business model to its foundations. Chinese authorities fear another economic downturn and millions of lost jobs.China’s leadership is trying to take […]

Jörn Petring Published: March 24th, 2025

Autonomous driving: Mass market breakthrough is imminent

Autonomous driving is on the verge of reaching the Chinese mass market. Experts largely agree that this year will be a milestone for the country’s market maturity of autonomous driving technologies.The UBS bank predicts the “democratization of high-end autonomous-driving systems” in the country by 2025. Due to the fierce competition between EV manufacturers, they say […]

Jörn Petring Published: March 18th, 2025

Stock market: ‘DeepSeek moment’ like an act of liberation

DeepSeek has changed the narrative for China’s tech giants for the better. After years of regulatory crackdowns and poor investor confidence in the financial markets, the sector is experiencing an unexpected comeback. In recent weeks, China’s tech stocks have made an impressive rally, reflecting the shift with rising prices.The Hang Seng Tech Index in Hong […]

Jörn Petring Published: March 11th, 2025

People’s Congress: Where 1.5 trillion euros of new debt will go

While Germany still debates the planned multi-billion investments in defense and infrastructure, China continues to run up debts. This was demonstrated once again at the end of the National People’s Congress in Beijing: As expected, the delegates approved every proposal submitted – thus paving the way for enormous new debt. This year, China plans to […]

Jörn Petring Published: March 5th, 2025

Growth: How Prime Minister Li is fueling German optimism

The Chinese leadership is striving for economic continuity, although volatility lurks around every corner. Despite all the economic pitfalls, from the real estate crisis to domestic consumption and youth unemployment, the second-largest economy wants to grow by five percent once again. It had set the same target for 2024 – and achieved it, according to […]

Jörn Petring Published: March 4th, 2025

Trade war: The reason why Beijing uses its arsenal carefully

When the new US tariffs came into force shortly after midnight on Tuesday, China reacted swiftly. Only minutes later, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced several retaliatory measures. Overall, however, the response was fairly restrained.While Donald Trump increased his additional tariffs on all Chinese products from 10 to 20 percent, Beijing focused its attention on […]

Jörn Petring Published: February 24th, 2025

Chris Xu: Fast fashion tycoon in Trump’s sights

The life’s work of Chris Xu is in jeopardy. His fashion company Shein has seen a meteoric rise in recent years by offering clothing produced in China at unbeatable prices on Western markets. This business model is now facing pressure as both Washington and Brussels have their sights on Shein.The most acute problem for Xu […]