Author

Nico Beckert

Nico Beckert Published: February 17th, 2022

Prices for rare earths at record level

Rare earth prices in China have risen to record levels. A price index of the China Rare Earth Industry Association, which measures the prices of 21 rare earths and combination products, has increased by 99 percent compared to the same period last year, as reported by the business portal Caixin. According to the report, the […]

Nico Beckert Published: February 16th, 2022

Edi E&C 12

have you separated your garbage, eaten organic food for breakfast or given up meat today? The trend toward sustainable lifestyles is also reaching political Beijing. There, they now want to promote green consumption. People are to buy products with eco-labels and produce less waste. Authorities and companies are to make procurement more sustainable and build […]

Nico Beckert Published: February 15th, 2022

The green coating of China’s climate targets

Germany imports more clothing and textiles from China than from any other country in the world. Only the dumping prices of Chinese clothing and other Asian countries have made the mass consumption of cheap clothing possible in the West. So it seems slightly bizarre that Beijing is now urging its own citizens to buy clothing […]

Nico Beckert Published: February 14th, 2022

Sinopec uses CO2 to increase oil production

Chinese oil and gas company Sinopec has built a new carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) plant. According to a company statement, the plant will be able to store one million tons of CO2 per year, as reported by consulting agency Trivium China. The CO2 would thus no longer escape into the atmosphere and lose […]

Nico Beckert Published: February 11th, 2022

Beijing will further reform China’s education system

China’s Ministry of Education has presented new plans to further reduce the pressure on students. The government wants to monitor compliance with rules on extracurricular tutoring more closely and thus reduce the burden of homework and extracurricular tutoring, as business portal Caixin reports. According to a policy paper, measures that have been established for elementary […]

Nico Beckert Published: February 11th, 2022

China and NASA angry with Musk

China has accused the US of not sharing enough information about SpaceX satellites. The accusation was that the Starlink satellites of Elon Musk’s company came dangerously close to the Chinese space station, Bloomberg reports. It claimed that US authorities shared insufficient information about a possible collision course. “Chinese astronauts were facing real and urgent safety […]

Nico Beckert Published: February 10th, 2022

China’s exports to Germany are growing rapidly

Despite material bottlenecks and disrupted supply chains, German exporters recovered significantly from the 2020 Covid shock last year – and increased their exports to the People’s Republic. Exports to China increased by 8.1 percent to €103.6 billion, the Federal Statistical Office reported Wednesday. However, Germany’s largest export destination remained the United States, at €122.1 billion, […]

Nico Beckert Published: February 10th, 2022

ASML sees intellectual property violated

Netherlands-based photolithography system manufacturer ASML has complained that a Chinese company is selling products that infringe on ASML’s intellectual property rights, Bloomberg reports. ASML is the global market leader in equipment for manufacturing microchips. Chipmakers around the world rely on this equipment. The company had already accused China’s Dongfang Jingyuan Electron Ltd. of stealing corporate […]

Nico Beckert Published: February 9th, 2022

Editorial Energy&Climate 11

Today, even the Olympic Games can no longer avoid the issue of sustainability. The organizers in Beijing are emphasizing the climate neutrality of the Winter Games at every turn. All competition venues will be powered by renewable energies, and every passenger vehicle will run on either hydrogen, gas or electricity. But the measures for more […]

Nico Beckert Published: February 9th, 2022

China softens climate targets for steel sector

China has softened the climate targets for its steel sector. The sector is now not expected to reach peak CO2 emissions until 2030. That’s according to guidance issued by three ministries that regulate the sector. An earlier consultation document still spoke of an earlier date. Government advisers had argued for the period around 2025. The […]