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Nico Beckert

Nico Beckert Published: August 18th, 2022

Officials to buy houses

In China’s housing crisis, some cities are resorting to drastic measures. In Shimen, in Hunan province, an official called on state employees to buy new properties. According to a Reuters report, the official said at a property fair, that he hopes “attendees, including government officials, will lead the way in buying another home.” In the […]

Nico Beckert Published: August 17th, 2022

Editorial E&C 38

the Chinese government is incomparably good at reshaping the physical reality of the world to suit its plans. Whereas in Germany it is already difficult to lay a bike path, make room for a railroad track or erect a wind turbine, China literally moves mountains. Or rivers. In the future, even more water from the […]

Nico Beckert Published: August 17th, 2022

Low water levels cause power outages

Due to high temperatures and lack of rainfall, the water level on China’s longest river, the Yangtze, has fallen to its lowest ever recorded level. A level of 17.54 meters was measured in Wuhan – six meters below the average of recent years and the lowest level since 1865, as reported by the South China […]

Nico Beckert Published: August 15th, 2022

Exodus of foreign workers

One in four foreign employees at German companies has left China since 2019. This is according to a survey by the China Chamber of Foreign Trade (AHK). The government’s Covid policy and higher wage levels are cited as the main reasons for the exodus. For one in three companies, visa restrictions on foreigners are a […]

Nico Beckert Published: August 12th, 2022

Scholz warns against too much dependence

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warns Germany against being too dependent on China. Diversification in imports of raw materials is crucial, Scholz said Thursday at the chancellor’s summer press conference. German companies also understood this, he said. He also stated that Germany will thus have to ensure that lithium, for example, is sourced from different parts […]

Nico Beckert Published: August 12th, 2022

Report: Xi about to embark on state visit to Saudi Arabia

According to a report in The Guardian news, Xi Jinping will travel to Saudi Arabia next week. The report states that China’s president is to be welcomed with a gala reception. It would be Xi’s first state visit abroad since the beginning of the Covid pandemic in January 2020, and the grand reception is expected […]

Nico Beckert Published: August 12th, 2022

Dessert

Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema visits a memorial park built to honor Chinese nationals who died in the 1970s during construction of the nearly 1,900-kilometer railroad line from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia.

Nico Beckert Published: August 11th, 2022

Committee head calls for a harder line on China

The chairwoman of the German Bundestag’s Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, Renata Alt, urges the German government and the European Union to take a tougher stance regarding relations with China. “If we still want to be taken seriously internationally, then it is important that we take a clear position,” the FDP member of […]

Nico Beckert Published: August 11th, 2022

Innovative pilot program puts more solar on rooftops

Until 2016, there were hardly any solar systems on rooftops in the People’s Republic. But since then, systems with a capacity of 12 to 25 nuclear power plants have been installed – every year.In summer 2021, the government launched a new pilot program. It is “an absolutely crucial component for the expansion of solar power […]

Nico Beckert Published: August 10th, 2022

Editorial E&C 37

Have you already toyed with the idea of installing a solar system on the roof of your house or factory? Have you been reluctant to do so because it’s too much of a hassle? Last summer, China launched an innovative pilot program that solves this problem. Under the program, rooftops in districts and cities are […]