Not only since the current disastrous flooding in the province of Henan has China been aware that large parts of the country are prone to flooding. For a long time, the government's main weapon against these forces of nature was huge dams and dikes. But Beijing's new approach has seen more sealed surfaces being reopened all over Chinese cities. Nevertheless, the vulnerability to storms remains high.
By Jörn Petring
Like Central Europe and North America, the People's Republic is currently experiencing extreme weather accompanied by heavy rain. Heatwaves are also threatening the power grid in important cities such as Beijing. Some parts of the country have experienced flooding due to the massive rainfall. Last year, entire villages along the Yangtze River were already flooded. The torrential rainstorms are occurring with increasing frequency.
By Nico Beckert
The Chinese short video app TikTok has been downloaded three billion times globally. So far, only apps owned by Facebook have been able to reach such high figures. An IPO of its parent company ByteDance is rumored but has not yet been publicly confirmed. However, the competition is not waiting on the sideline. TikTok's biggest competitor is Kuaishou, which has been listed in Hong Kong since February.
By Frank Sieren