Beijing wants to regulate the import and export of rare earths even more strictly. This is bad news for the EU, which imports almost 98 percent of its requirements of these metals from China. For years, China has systematically bought the market dry and hoarded the raw materials. The EU should have acted long ago but underestimated the issue. Now Brussels is frantically looking for alternatives.
By Frank Sieren
The strict travel restrictions are currently one of the biggest problems for German companies in China. It is difficult for new employees and their families to obtain visas. Expats are de facto unable to leave the country. There is little prospect of the situation changing any time soon – not least because the National People's Congress will meet in Beijing in March.
By Christiane Kuehl
China's President Xi Jinping spoke to 17 Central and Eastern European states at the virtual summit. The main results for observers: The format is not dead, but no great leaps were made. Six of 12 EU states sent lower-ranking representatives to the meeting. Xi made promises of billions in imports.
By Amelie Richter
Tencent's WeChat Pay and Alibaba's subsidiary Alipay dominate the market for digital payment systems in China. Now Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, tries to shake up the market with its own e-wallet. The payment service will be launched at the Chinese television's New Year's Gala, the gala with the most worldwide viewers. This is in the interest of the Chinese government, which wants to prevent too much power concentration of individual providers in financial services.
By Frank Sieren
The chat app Clubhouse has worked uncensored in China for a surprisingly long time. Now the government blocked the app – it can only be accessed with VPN. The domestic social audio apps can now quietly divide the market among themselves.
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Tomorrow, the Chinese Mars probe is scheduled to enter orbit around Mars. It is an undertaking that combines three missions in one with an orbiter, lander and rover. For China, the space program is about prestige, technology, economic goals and geopolitical influence.
By Redaktion Table
A report on rape and torture in re-education camps in Xinjiang has caused a great uproar in Europe and the US. Dozens of international parliamentarians, including three Germans, call on their governments to act. China's government calls the reporting a lie.
By Redaktion Table
Boys become increasingly "effeminate" under the influence of coddling mothers and groomed boy band stars, fears a politically influential industry boss and MP – sparking a surprisingly large response in Chinese society.
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Immediately after taking office US President Joe Biden has sent military ships to the South China Sea. However, this is not a fundamental question about the "One China" policy. Washington still has no interest in a military confrontation but is clearly signaling that Beijing must be prepared for the new US administration not to underestimate its rival.
By Frank Sieren
