The phenomenon even has its own name: German Vote. The Brussels bubble uses this term to describe the frequent German abstention in the Council of Ministers – but the term stands for even more: for the speechlessness of the largest member state in the European legislative process. The German representative in the Council bodies is […]
China’s President Xi Jinping once again used his New Year’s address to highlight his own industrial policy successes, such as the record sales of electric cars. However, one milestone was absent from both the New Year’s speech and other recent announcements: Made in China 2025.Almost ten years ago, China’s State Council presented its comprehensive industrial […]
Shortly before the end of his term in office, POTUS Joe Biden is pushing through far-reaching protection of US waters from further oil and gas extraction. The memoranda issued on Monday exempt all areas of the outer continental shelf off the east and west coasts of the USA, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and other […]
In April 2024, a spokesperson for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte suggested that the Philippines and China had entered into an undisclosed “gentleman’s agreement” between 2016 and 2022. China would not challenge the status quo in the West Philippine Sea, and the Philippines would send only basic supplies to its personnel and facilities on the […]
It’s rare for someone to talk about their work as an online censor. You are now 25 years old and have been doing the job since 2020. What tasks has your employer have you do?It mainly involves examining images and texts. The content can be divided into three main areas: political security, violence and offensive […]
The right-wing extremist Călin Georgescu is taking legal action against the annulment of the first round of the presidential election in Romania. Georgescu has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, said his lawyer Maria Vasii, according to Romanian media. In the ballot on Nov. 24, the far-right and […]
China’s GDP growth slowed during the first three quarters of 2024, from 5.3 percent to 4.7 percent to 4.6 percent, raising fears that the country would not achieve its annual growth target of around 5 percent. But the latest data suggest that China’s economy is finally turning the corner.Economic activity in China has been relatively […]
Investigations into beef: The Ministry of Commerce in Beijing has launched an investigation into beef imports. The background to this is that an oversupply of goods is causing problems for Chinese cattle breeders. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, suppliers from Brazil, Argentina, and Australia may face sanctions in the form of higher import […]
China’s technological prowess is quite simply outstanding. From world-class infrastructure and eco-friendly cities to space systems and high-speed trains, China’s impressive accumulation of cutting-edge physical capital has played a major role in its economic development. However, China’s technical achievements on the supply side do not translate to its socio-technical efforts on the demand side, especially […]
Those who order leadership … … hardly get it in today’s Europe: political leadership has become a scarce commodity. Chancellor Olaf Scholz governs on demand and sometimes moves through the European Council like a bull in a china store. Emmanuel Macron has fallen victim to his own disruptive style (see below). As a result, the […]
