Visits to Taiwan by politicians to express solidarity have been very popular in recent months. Felix Lee took this as an opportunity to investigate whether the diplomatic visits marked a turning point in Germany’s Taiwan policy. The German Social Democratic Party (SPD) is of particular interest here; after all, the Greens and the Free Democratic […]
It’s a nine-hour flight to China – and yet the People’s Republic was practically inaccessible for almost three years. Unacceptable quarantine rules and considerable restrictions on air travel brought exchanges to a standstill. Important business trips had to be canceled, as did private visits. On Monday, this period ends – travel restrictions will be lifted. […]
Tomorrow is Christmas. A holiday that also plays an important role in China. And not just as a consumer holiday. Officially, around 44 million Christians live in China. According to estimates, their number could actually be as high as 100 million, if the members of the so-called “underground” or “house churches” are included. These operate […]
Covid deaths go unmentioned in China’s state media. The Beijing Health Commission has not reported a death in two weeks either. But morticians, crematories and relatives tell a different story. They experience the devastating impact of the virus on a largely unvaccinated population firsthand. While renowned epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan downplays the disease as “Common Cold […]
The first leak of Germany’s China strategy is now followed by a second one. After the Foreign Ministry, now the Ministry of Economics has also leaked a hefty paper on its plans to the media. The business community is not pleased with such indiscretions: China is far too important an issue to be pulverized in […]
Sometimes it is just wishful thinking. The wish, which is certainly particularly widespread in the Western world at the moment, is to find a mediator who will bring the warmonger Putin to his senses. And the derived thought is that Xi Jinping could be this mediator.Since the start of the Ukraine war, speculation arises at […]
The auto show in Beijing is canceled. The reason: Covid. A look at the new infection numbers in the city leaves heads shaking, which has become something of a habit. There were 95 new cases on Wednesday. Incomprehension is followed by speculation – are there any signs that zero-Covid will soon be abandoned? Hopes for […]
Chancellor Olaf Scholz plans to wrap up his entire China visit in just eleven hours this Friday. That is a whole new tempo. Angela Merkel always allowed herself two to three days. But that was also before Covid. It was a different time. That is precisely what the Chancellor now acknowledges in a written statement […]
The case of two illegal Chinese police stations in the Netherlands and the recent attack of an embassy employee in Manchester show: Regime-critical Chinese are also being harassed in Europe. China is said to operate at least 54 overseas police stations in 30 countries. The Chinese security agencies probably also have embassy staff or overseas […]
the case of two illegal Chinese police stations in the Netherlands and the recent attack of an embassy employee in Manchester show: Chinese who are critical of the regime are also being intimidated in Europe. China is said to operate at least 54 overseas police stations in 30 countries. The long arm of the Chinese […]