Table.Briefings

Feature

EU Commission publishes CAI annexes

The EU Commission has published the long-awaited details of the investment agreement with China. With regard to market access, the People's Republic has made concessions – but in general, they offer only a small step forward for European companies. In some areas, China has cemented its advantage with the CAI. The EU Parliament is now expected to begin its review soon. In China.Table you can regularly read further analyses on the CAI.

By Amelie Richter

Sweden's permanent conflict with China

Sweden's relationship with China is tense. For years petty conflicts have poisoned the climate. And in October, Stockholm excluded the Chinese telecoms suppliers Huawei and ZTE from building 5G networks. Beijing threatened to put Swedish firms at a disadvantage – with an uncertain outcome. In this series, China.Table reports on all EU member states' relations with China.

By Christiane Kuehl

CRRC examines Lathen as Transrapid test track

China wants to further develop magnetic levitation technology for high-speed trains and is looking into cooperating with European partners and revitalizing the former Transrapid test track in Lathen in the Emsland region. According to information from China.Table, the state-owned railway group CRRC has already made an inquiry to the operating company of the former test track in Lathen. CRRC has developed two of its own prototypes based on German Transrapid technology but does not have its own test track for long-term testing. In China, maglev trains are considered a pillar of the government's climate plans.

By Frank Sieren

Beijing adopts electoral law reform for Hong Kong

Opposition politicians in Hong Kong must finally bury their chances of gaining relevant political influence. The National People's Congress in Beijing is reforming the city's electoral law and closing "loopholes" for democratic decision-making.

By Marcel Grzanna

Universal Studios open in Beijing

After the opening of the first Chinese Disney amusement park in Shanghai in 2016, competitor Universal also wants to profit from the booming market. The timing for the 400-hectare park in Beijing could hardly be better. The COVID-19 pandemic has been overcome in China and domestic tourism is picking up again.

By Redaktion Table

Wirecard: Merkel and the meeting with Xi

In April, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) must testify before the Bundestag's investigative committee. The MPs have many unanswered questions – especially about her involvement with Wirecard during a trip to China, the influence of Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg on the Chancellor's Office, and the Chancellor's economic advisor, Lars-Hendrik Röller.

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China's third aircraft carrier in final assembly

China's third aircraft carrier will be launched in 2021 – it is supposed to be similar to the most modern US carriers. However, it is questionable whether all the necessary technologies will be available. Beijing also put plans for further aircraft carriers on hold some time ago for cost reasons and lack of necessary technologies.

By Redaktion Table

CO2 limit tax as an opportunity for China?

The European Parliament has given the green light for a report on the CO2 limit levy. A number of things are still open until the EU Commission presents its proposal later this year. What is clear, however, is that the new mechanism will bring money into the EU coffers. Critics fear that trading partners could see the levy as an additional tariff, making the project implausible in terms of climate policy. For China, however, the EU project could also have advantages.

By Amelie Richter

Hafnium cyber attack becomes state affair

China can't seem to let it go: Despite agreements with Western countries to the contrary, hackers from the Far East are repeatedly accessing the data of authorities, banks, and companies. With access to Microsoft's Exchange servers, a particularly spectacular case is now causing outrage. But is the state really behind the espionage?

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Education level endangers growth in China

China's plans to become an "industrial superpower" have received much attention. Beijing wants to move into new sectors – for example, AI, robots, new mobility – and make the economy more innovative. But education levels threaten to stifle growth, as Scott Rozelle, a development economist at Stanford University, reports in his new book, Invisible China.

By Nico Beckert