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Opinion

Opinion

There is no 'end of history' for Beijing

Beijing's approach to its own history is always worth a special look. After all, transparency is not a strong suit here either. In 2006, however, China's Foreign Ministry published a book on declassified documents for the first time. A second volume never came out. Thus, other documents have to serve as a reminder of history.

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Opinion

Replace Russian oil and gas with renewables

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shaken many long-held Western assumptions about the foundations of peace in Europe. Among other things, it has renewed policymakers’ focus on energy dependence as a key strategic issue.

By Redaktion Table

Opinion

China’s international coal-exit has a transparency problem

China has announced its intention to phase out financing of overseas coal-fired power. But the details remain unclear. For example, will China also stop projects that have already been started? Wawa Wang and Dr. Vanessa Buth from the non-governmental organization Just Finance International, which campaigns for more transparency in public procurement, reviewed China's numerous coal projects in the Western Balkans. They urge the EU and Germany to call on China to disclose its overseas coal policies.

By Redaktion Table

Patrick Stockebrandt und Svenja Schwind (cep) über das Recht auf Reparatur
Opinion

Right to repair: not a foregone conclusion

The right to repair is the generic term for measures aimed at both strengthening consumer rights and reducing the resource consumption of products. The EU Commission will present its concrete plans on Wednesday. However, it is already clear that they are not entirely consumer-friendly.

By Redaktion Table

Ölembargo & Sanktionen Russland: Lukasz Rachel (links) und Moritz Schularick (rechts)
Opinion

Energy embargo with announcement

The sanctions imposed so far are not enough to stop Vladimir Putin, argue Lukasz Rachel and Moritz Schularick. They suggest that the West should announce a gradual embargo on oil and gas. This would give the affected companies time to adjust – and the Kremlin an incentive to negotiate.

By Redaktion Table

Opinion

'Dark patterns' – how the DSA draft on platform design needs to be improved

The social media news feed that never ends. The pop-up on the booking page that screams to users "74 people are watching this too! There are only 3 offers left!". The privacy settings page or account deletion page that can only be found after a marathon of clicks: These are all corporate design decisions that define the everyday online lives of millions of people. At best, such design practices are just annoying. At worst, they are intrusions on people's freedom of choice in the name of maximizing attention and profit. That's why the European Digital Services Act ("DSA") for tech platforms needs to explicitly focus on design issues.

By Redaktion Table

Opinion

Lithuania, China and the new realities of global trade

Can and should the EU become more involved in resolving tensions with China? A coordinated European approach is all the more important today, as trade is becoming increasingly political. At the same time, actions such as the creation of the Taiwan Office in Lithuania need to be better coordinated. Otherwise, the EU will be forced to collectively represent policies that are dictated by individual member states.

By Redaktion Table

Opinion

China's hedge against geopolitical shocks

The US is trying its hardest to contain China's economic and technological rise. But protectionist policies and trade and investment restrictions will not cause any lasting damage to the Chinese economy. This is because the technological strength of China's economy has already passed a critical threshold. It is only a matter of time before China catches up technologically with the US, writes Zhang Jun, Dean of Economics at Fudan University Shanghai.

By Redaktion Table

Opinion

'We are disappointed in Germany'

Nilk Wu is a Taiwanese reporter. He spent the past few years in Hong Kong, where he founded the news platform DB Channel, which was forced to shut down in winter 2021 due to "subversive reporting". Currently, Wu is on his way to the Polish border to report on the fate of Ukrainian refugees in Europe for Taiwanese media.

By Redaktion Table