As part of the trade conflict with the US and the EU, China has threatened to impose tariffs on certain chemicals, some of which are also used in cars. The Ministry of Commerce in Beijing has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into such chemicals from the EU, the USA, Japan and Taiwan.As the Ministry of Commerce […]
ByteDance has announced that it will suspend the reward system in the TikTok Lite app, which was introduced in Spain and France and flagged by the EU Commission as potentially unlawful. “TikTok always tries to find a constructive approach with the EU Commission and other regulators. Therefore, we are voluntarily suspending the reward features in […]
On Wednesday, the EU Commission published a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union announcing the initiation of an investigation under the International Procurement Instrument (IPI). The investigation targets the public procurement market for medical products in China, where European providers are currently losing market share.The IPI allows the EU to act against […]
As the supervisory authority for the largest providers under the Digital Services Act, the EU Commission has threatened coercive measures against TikTok operator ByteDance. At the heart of the proceedings are what the DSA supervisory authority sees as insufficient measures to protect children from the risk of addiction, the Commission announced on Monday.The DSA requires […]
China’s comprehensive economic stimulus package may come too late. In a Reuters survey of 75 regularly interviewed experts, skepticism prevails as to whether the People’s Republic can still achieve its growth target of five percent this year. The survey was conducted between Sept. 27 and Oct. 15 – i.e. after the stimulus was announced. Instead, […]
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s statements during his visit to Tongji University in Shanghai sounded different from many of the statements made by Germany’s Research Minister. During the COVID crisis, contacts had declined significantly, which was not good, Scholz said in China. He advocated a return to greater scientific exchange and said talks and reciprocal visits should […]
Africa is a continent on the rise – young, dynamic and full of potential. However, while other nations, above all China, act strategically and decisively, Germany hesitates and pursues an inefficient Africa policy – with economic and geopolitical costs for Africa and Europe. In this age of systemic competition between democracies and authoritarian regimes, a […]
Several EU countries have warned of possible fraud in biodiesel imports. At a meeting of energy ministers on Tuesday, Ireland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands pointed out that biodiesel imports from alleged palm oil production residues have increased dramatically in recent years. This has been the case since the EU introduced incentives for the production […]
Liu Zhenmin has big shoes to fill. The 68-year-old will most likely become China’s new climate envoy and thus succeed climate czar Xie Zhenhua, who made a significant contribution to the Paris Climate Agreement with John Kerry. As a grey eminence, Xie has had a great deal of influence on Chinese climate policy.However, career diplomat […]
On Monday, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office informed about the arrest of three suspects accused of working for the Chinese intelligence service. Thomas R. is said to have acquired information on technologies that could be used militarily, through the efforts of Herwig F. and Ina F. and their company.There are now indications that the company in […]