Transcripts For DW Quarks 20240712

Staking out its claims on every continent with its sprawling belt and Road Initiative impacting how most every country does business officials in beijing a setting the Global Standards in tech they drawing up their own treaties and deals and theyve got the upper hand with an immense amount of financial firepower but chinas also highly secretive bad restrictive the question is is china more of a partner old rival. President xi jinping has promised time and again to open his mammoth economy to the world to lead an International Investment and allow for a level Playing Field german executives ive spoken to say its going in the other direction they say chinese officials clamping down on foreign firms more than ever china and the European Union have been hammering out a comprehensive agreement on investment for 7 years now but after multiple rounds of negotiations theyve basically got no way. The skyscrapers a friend high have all been built in the past 30 years. Almost all the big German Companies have an office in this business metropolis but some are starting to get nervous. 5000 German Companies operating in China Business is good but for how long the German Chamber of commerce in beijing has confirmed that German Companies are increasingly worried. The 1st issue is Market Access is asymmetrical access to the Chinese Market. A 2nd point is the Regulatory Environment and the 3rd point is obvious protecting intellectual Property Rights and finally a big concern these days is digitalisation and the Free Exchange of information and the Digital World. To get a hold. In chinas Digital World no one is really free beijing monitors its internet and Messenger Services like we chat for years now Foreign Companies in china have been required to store their data on chinese servers and the socalled social Credit System uses big data and Artificial Intelligence to monitor the behavior of its citizens and its companies. Why do western Companies Put up with that. For example western Companies Still have to form joint ventures with Chinese Companies. Germans can own 49 percent of the joint venture but the chinese retain the majority stake. A well known example is fox wagon which has been partners with a Chinese Automotive Company s. A. I. C. Since 1988 the joint venture requirement means the transfer of technology is almost mandatory to build in china a company has to make its know how Available Technology and systems have to be exported to china the reward is access to the Chinese Market but not to all markets theres a list of approved sectors thats updated regularly teef list is negative and just as the register of the Chinese Government uses to control what types of Foreign Investment are allowed into the country. And the slant. On the list is used to limit which industries these companies can invest and. In the spirit of currently the prohibited industries include medical Technology Environmental technology and aerospace the negative list includes 33 industries that are closed to Foreign Investment. Do the 300 Chinese Companies in germany have similar problems to deal with other negative lists here the Chinese Chamber of commerce in germany deflects the question. Of course we value the partnership between germany and china very highly and this Political Security is very important for us we are entrepreneurs of course we invest here we want to earn money here and do good business. Good business its something that German Companies are also doing in china but 44 percent of them want to see more fairness a call. Adding to an Anonymous Survey by the German Chamber of commerce in beijing why isnt anyone willing to say that on camera. Targets is no end of the day to station the economy here so closely interwoven from the point of view of German Companies its sometimes better to address things behind closed doors rather than speak out publicly. And theres a lot to lose of all the cars it produced in the 1st half of 2020 v. W. Sold over 40 percent in china b. M. W. Sold 34 percent and dima which makes most eightys sold 33 percent that. No other western industrial country has become as dependent on china as germany. This is especially true in the auto industry. Only a few German Companies have left china like model train maker met leaving the company moved back to germany because production costs were too high and the quality too low. But that was 10 years ago. Looking at real trains is much more revealing chinese high speed trains are as good as their european counterparts much of the technology was copied from european trains made by siemens and storm which are also built in china those companies shared their know how with that chinese partners now the copies are challenging the originals on the European Market on the one side is the gigantic state company subsidized with millions of euros and on the other private companies from europe. Since 2013 the e. U. And china have held over 30 meetings to negotiate an Investment Protection agreement so far without results. In a 3 way relationship between china the us and the european you. Yes theres only one way germany can play a role and thats if the e. U. Is firm and united in representing its interests feasibly china and the united states. With offical. Germany is chinas most important trading partner in europe. Do you have anything from china you know what i have in my hand my cell phone air pods i think my computer is from china to the knowhow i think it is from china you know they are safe yes definitely half my stuff comes from china you know coronavirus its where corolla started no one thinks about where it comes from anymore. The corona virus did 1st appear in china and china took its time letting the world in on it the Chinese Communist party brutally suppressed the warnings coming from its citizens. Experts agree that if paging had reacted faster it wouldnt have become a worldwide pandemic. But coronavirus pandemic has weakened the worlds trust in china. Chinas factories deliver products to the entire world but its a police state that brutally beat down the Democracy Movement in hong kong. Is it possible to do business with a country like that. How can you do business with a country thats built large concentration camps in shin junk province to attain we go to. European companies have to ask themselves who ends up paying the price for doing business in china thats also a factor in the Investment Protection agreement our European Investments really save even if europeans demand more fairness and support for human rights more and more people are beginning to put trade between the e. U. And china to the test. And what about europes biggest economy germany a nation reliant on its exports the chinese make up a huge bag. For machinery cars and Premium Products made or designed by germans companies that have a lot of this that in the asian powerhouse insist there is only one china but does the german economic or German Economy really rely on the chinese to the extent that some economists would have you believe. As far as to im with you its wrong to say that were dependent on china on its own. If we look at the economic numbers german exports to china are to around 7 percent as important. Is considered one of the sharpest critics in germany of chinese economic policies of course he is aware that 7 percent of all exports represents a huge portion of the economy. In 29000 it was 96000000000 euro but german says in europe around 10 times that around 903000000000 exports to the us 419000000000 euros. Many jobs are we creating in china does this mean that. There are varying estimates but its definitely at least a 1000000 and were only talking about jobs directly related to manufacturing. And if you take into account all the supplier jobs and Service Industry jobs then its a lot more now as a moment so its time to apply pressure to say were creating jobs in china we dont have to put up with everything else. Im fully convinced that we could take a much stronger position towards china because in fact china needs German Companies especially right now. They need German Technology and jobs much more urgently than we need china. You know. The chinese economy has returned to growth despite the pandemic but National Debt has been increasing for years. In 2019 it reached around 56 percent of gross domestic product. Chinas g. D. P. Has almost tripled in the last 10 years its jet ratio is still rising alarmingly. At the end of october the Party Leadership wants to toast the agreement of a new 5 year. This is a framework for the distribution of work and money under the communist government. It also determines how much the economy should grow and which companies the chinese may trade with. Me expect from this 5 year plan. It depends on how the chinese see globalization and how china sees its interdependence in the area of Technological Development and well see whether china relies more on National Technological sovereignty or whether it relies on International Interdependence and the partnerships with europe and the us problem do you think as with the mission with bae and i know its going to be a mixture of both but under she we have to expect a stronger focus on techno nationalism and the temptation will be very strong for china to be more selfsufficient and independent when it comes to innovation that will make life more difficult for german and European Companies there. As for the u. S. The white house is no longer ruling out a complete break with china but 1st President Donald Trump impose billions in customs duties on goods imported from china now washington is quite openly talking about decoupling the American Economy from the chinese one. I think we have to say goodbye to the idea that everything is becoming more interdependent and globalized were in a day globalization phase at the same time its also clear that we cant just push ahead blindly and assume that the situation is going to stay the way it has been and for German Companies that means facing some difficult choices. Well germany may not be as dependent as you think on china as an export market but the coronavirus has highlighted how dependent multinational corporations and many other Small Businesses are on chinese suppliers spare parts Raw Materials manufacturing and very important right now ingredients for pharmaceuticals as the virus spread abroad and its neighbors close their borders to china whole supply chains fell apart it also hurt the chinese economy as factories closed and people were forced to stay home now things are gradually returning to normal. The beginning of a. Travel season or on national day most people get to or its a high point for beijings cultural. City which hosts 14000000. 00 tourists a year. It is also the 1st National Day Holiday since the outbreak of corbett 19 just over half a year ago beijing city center looked very different during the winter beijings heritage sites were shut down because of the epidemic travel restrictions were in place in the whole country. d this is usually a bustling commercial street lots of souvenir shops not shops tourists who visit beijing usually come to spend time here today im the only one. And this is what the same things like the late. China has brought the epidemic under control there are virtually no more domestic transmission and people are enjoying a return to life. So theyve got. To have the knowledge of. The land that they are you so that i dont see all. The time that theyre not aware that. There are still measures in place people have to use a health and scan the code to register at certain locations tourist sites have limited visitor numbers estimates put the number of tourists in china during this season that 550000000 people that would be 2 thirds of last years figure. That i started yesterday. That. You know were going to. Know that. Chinas economy has returned to positive growth Government Spending on infrastructure and construction has brought workers back into the city. The growth is still a lot. Slower than in previous years private consumption you specially is we are going behind companies have cut wages and council bonuses for the employees in downtown beijing the traces of the past 6 months are still visible. Businesses have been hit hard by this crisis many have little to no income for months and months on many shops and restaurants have to shut down experts have long warned of chinas imbalance growth too much investment and today it will consumption hoovered 19 has made these warnings ever more urgent. China has a history of ambitious projects the great wall of china the silk road and now its new silk road officially known as the belt Road Initiative its the largest Infrastructure Project ever seen the transport Energy Mining i. T. And communications projects spanned the globe and even reach into outer space the original so proud basing quaint according to todays standards but the fact is it paved the way to where we are now. A brief history of the silk road 6400 kilometers searing 50 degree celsius heat the bitter cold of 40 below across steps deserts and high mountains with the constant threat of armed bandits. The silk road a perilous challenge the bones of pack animals litter the wing as if in morning. But the worlds oldest and most important trade route was not a single road it was a vast network of many caravan routes. By the 2nd century b. C. E. The silk road connected china to the roman empire. The term silk road was popularized in 1987 by german geographer fed in unfunded leached often. Silk was highly sought after by roman women. But only the chinese knew how to produce the valuable textile. The 2 year long trip with up to 1000. 00 bactrian camels was worth it they didnt just carry silk but also spices lacquers furs and porcelain. In return europe sent gold gem stones and glass. Inventions too such as paper and black gunpowder were spread and even with legends were transmitted buddhism arrived in china and japan by way of the silk road. Cities along the silk road flourished and some are primed and tashkent there was a rumor in train. Most merchants only travelled short distances then sold their wares to the next buyers this made the goods more expensive but diseases were also transmitted along the trade routes like the plague which killed a 3rd of europes population in the 14th century. The demise of the silk road began mainly because it was replaced by new maritime brutes customs duties and bandits could be avoided and reach their destinations more quickly. And today chinas new silk road is expected to cost a trillion euros but that gigantic Infrastructure Project is not about reviving the glories of. Its purely a shrewd economic investment. And that brings us to the controversy this initiative is the centerpiece of president Foreign Policy its a clever way of locking in future markets for chinese goods and services but also a risky way of keeping countries on the drip of a financial lifeline the. Developing economies since the. Several have applied for debt for life however before taking things too far governments might want to consider chinas human rights record and its green credentials. A gigantic construction site part of a highway said to run 170 kilometers across montenegro financed with the help of a 1000000000 euro loan from china this stretch of construction is along the Charles River part of a unesco World Heritage site some environmental activists say the decision to build here was a mistake there had been 18 alternatives to peter king but the steps meant and why is that we agree a great question none of these is just considering that he says you know the site and some other of it all felt in addition be taken point at either. The tower or river gorge is one of the deepest in europe the river basin is a biosphere reserve. The water that flows from the Higher Elevations is crystal clear. Environmental activist Natasha Kovacs of it says its one of the most ecologically important regions in montenegro. Its host for many speeches suspicious like species. So. That was 3100 kilometers causes. About 100 kilometers downstream is where the chinese financed highway will run directly across a tributary of the Charles River. Building on this terrain is complicated and expensive the activist believes that the valley route was chosen because its the cheapest option biologists studying the issue say that the construction project is destroying the habitat of various fish and plant species. Up to 4000. 00 construction workers from china have been working here during Peak Construction phases Chinese Companies are raking in the profits but paying precious little in tax plus all the Construction Materials and equipment imported from china are exempt from customs duties. Which is Environmental Organization employs 15 people their work is supported by donations as well as some funding from the European Union. While were filming a guard pops up and orders us to leave the area even though were on a public road. Chinese manager just said that we have to leave the place because we can take it but we cannot take the reports of the construction because base is something that should be forbidden so the site the new highway will connect montenegros the coast to the north of the country. In the capital port greta the state run agency money to put its responsible for the construction work the director insists its all in accordance. E. U. Standards. Were on the right path because we want to develop north montenegro that helps the country and europe as a whole. The north of the country in the developed compared to the south. The north has enormous potential in the areas of industry tourism and energy. Months is an Anti Corruption watchdog that keeps a close eye on the montenegrin government. Is investigating the Financial Impact of the 1000000000 euro loan. Its a difficult task because the government is keeping the financial details under lock and key. Says Research Shows that Construction Contracts to domestic firms are only going to companies with close ties to the government hes also discovered that under the terms of the loan an Arbitration Court in china would have jurisdiction over any legal disputes and if montenegro cant repay the debt in time china would be able to make collateral claims. Montenegro is a small country with a population of just over 600000 the average income is around 500. 00 euros a month the chinese loan is worth almost one 5th of montenegros g. D. P. We asked monte puts director for his assessment. But there are always risks associated with any construction project. Thats the government investigated these risks in full detail. So we can say that the project wont be a problem for the montenegrin budget. Its important to know that every cent of highway tolls will go into paying back the loan but we believe well be able to pay it back down to the last cent. They dont know. We had to an area just south of the capital where another section of highway is under construction pitted against a 1000000000 euro project environmental activists like that tasha kovach which are very much underdogs but shes determined to speak out against the lack of transparency and rampant environmental destruction with the Chinese Investor and their culture actually its more about just straightforward being and doing things without the 2 questions and of course that it also causes some questions and none understand it. For the time being this is still a highway to nowhere whether the new superhighway will ever reach neighboring serbia is very much an open question. And skepticism and concerns over chinas place in the Global Economy could be higher but its clear the chinese will be already playing a leading role. If. Theres no doubt. That just in a good day nothing would change you know the banks and you know just why and so whats the language of a banker. Speaking the truth global news that matters w. Me for minds. This is some dope story a stubborn rice farmer from thailand. His problem. Is credo no chemical. And his plan was. To survive past dont stand a chance. Thanks to training success. Dr shatter me starts october 15th on t. W. A. 8. 100 soft leaves in my clubs. Where i come from raj your remains an important one to me soft transmitting news and information and when i was young my country was drawing. No more trouble keeping most people want to god that our own receivers. It was my job to to in one. Just say so as not everyone in the column for missing tones up to be. Intrinsic to my own comedy and enjoyed nothing more of them. Even by us i was a twit and. My choice to discard because given their way toward transmitted to the strongest. Men in the much and i. Did have. This respect. Among. The good. But. Respect. This estate over the years life from the fighting of the 2nd away from governments across europe tried to turn back the tide of coronavirus of the culture not because of the highest number of new infections since the start of the pandemic also on the program. Strikes us face off in the copper to low bounty government protest some controversial calls for curbs on the kings power. Comes fast. Justice to 1st has been fined 2000 euros. Trying to take african art from the paris museum he says he was only taking back what rightfully belongs to. Time phil gail welcome to the Program European countries have begun to impose new restrictions on public life and the private life as they struggle to cope with the steep rises in corona virus infections the europes highest coronavirus death toll the u. K. As unveiled a new 3 tier lockdown system closing pubs gyms and betting shops in englands highest risk areas while northern irelands Regional Government is just imposed to europes hottest 2nd wave restrictions the Czech Republic has imposed a state of emergency new restrictions that came into effect today closing all schools bars restaurants and clubs and the netherlands is also closing Restaurants Hotels and cafes in a return to a partial lockdown. It was what the Hospitality Industry was dreading most a return to lockdown from midnight restaurants in cafes in the netherlands must shut their doors for at least 2 weeks. Will now be mandatory in indoor public spaces the government saying it was left with little choice in the face of spiralling infection rates. Thats unheard of. And its a hard message and the new rules are going to hurt but its the only way because the fact thank you need we have to be stricter on ourselves and stricter on our behavior. Its a similar picture at the forefront of europe 2nd wave in the Czech Republic testing has been ramped up across the country. And tighter measures have been enforced as well as Leisure Industries schools will be shut for 3 weeks. At tram stops now im asked official conceded they may have relaxed the rules too quickly in the summer you could. Well you know its an ability to maybe i wasnt sarong enough in the summer. And i didnt insist on measures to protect us from the 2nd way. The. Main in France Business owners in the capital through a Cocktail Party protest to direct attention to their plight. There in the middle of a 2 week closure that officials hoped would stand the rising number of infections it hasnt and the public is bracing for new restrictions to be announced. The government needs to place a good strong and powerful measures in line with the economic tragedy that were facing here and across france. Across europe growing infection rates fresh lockdown measures and the inevitable health and Economic Hardship to follow is the headache for which there are no easy fixes. Well germany is also considering additional measures to rein in rising infection rates reported more than 5000. 00 new khurana coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours the highest one day total since the mid april a chance of going to the heads of the countrys federal states a meeting in berlin an announcement is expected this evening that new cases have been rising steadily since the end of summer some regions have already posed new restrictions and testing requirements for people in high risk areas. Well lets go straight to d. W. Political correspondent kate brady welcome kate can the chancellor get 16 state leaders to line up behind one set of proposals. Well it certainly is going to be a difficult task in the longer that those 16 state premiers and chancellor Angela Merkel stay behind closed doors this evening certainly gives us a bit more of an idea about exactly how difficult it is right now to get some more cohesion and more cooperation when it comes to nationwide measures in germany we have been having some reports trickling out over the course of the evening so far as rumors flying around now that perhaps there might soon be a breakthrough when it comes to the implementation of a curfew for bars and restaurants across germany something that some cities including here in berlin have already implemented and so were expecting to hear more as the evening goes on but this is by no means an easy task to get the 16 state premiers to decide on measures together or doesnt germany have a unified approach. Well germany has 16 states as part of its federal system and logically speaking so far during the pandemic each individual state has been able to react accordingly depending on the number of new cases being reported there and even more locally than that within tiny districts as well theres been even more localized action taken but as you were saying the numbers here in germany the numbers of new daily coronavirus cases are increasing steadily so there is concern now that its going to be harder to contain the virus especially as what were seeing is no longer the cluster infections that we were previously seeing in for example a slaughterhouse where it was quite easy to shut down a small area of what was seen as is wide a spread outbreaks now so given about why this spread how far do you think germany is from a national law. Well what we have to remember is that germany never really had a true lockdown not when you compare it to neighboring countries like france so it was never quite as strict but certainly a shutdown or increase tighten measures on Opening Times and where and when people can travel is certainly not off the cards but what merkel is certainly trying to do today in her efforts to try and get these 16 state premiers to unite is to avoid that of course germany seeing what is going on in neighboring countries around europe right now and in the u. K. As well where the numbers of new daily cases a simply through the roof and in france as well and germany wants to avoid getting to that point as relatively speaking germany has had quite a successful. Time at least in the last few months and in dealing with the coven 1000 pound demick and certainly they dont want to see the pandemic spiral out of control but those numbers are rising and now certainly is the time to act and thats exactly what merkel is trying to get their state premiers to do this evening. Thank you. Well take a look at some of the other stories making news around the world now the European Union has agreed to sanction 6 Russian Security officials over the poisoning of russian Opposition Leader that same valley the asset freezes and travel bans are to be implemented within days russia has threatened to hit back with a similar blacklist. In a landmark ruling the greek chorus has handed long prison sentences to the leaders or for progress nazi group of Neo Nazi Group golden dawn the groups leader nick us cos on several other members was sentenced for running a criminal gang the former political partys been linked to a number of violent hate crimes. Heavy rain and flooding has killed at least 15 people in Southern India these images are from the city of hyderabad where police say 25 centimeters of rain fell in one day all thought is of be using boats to evacuate residents from low lying parts of the city. To russians and americans have successfully reached the International Space station the fast track flight took just 3 hours half the usual time its not as last mission on a russian spacecraft the u. S. Now has its own assets if the lawman musks space x. Corporation. A major antigovernment rally in thailand has been met with counter demonstrations from supporters of the monarchy prodemocracy protesters are calling for reforms of the constitution of the monarchy in thailand criticism of the kings traditionally seen as taboo and punishable by law the spike this the protests have been gaining momentum over the last few months. Scaling bangkoks democracy monument a symbolic move for protesters demonstrating against what they view as a dictatorial regime thailand is led by a former military coup leader who became Prime Minister in an election widely seen as skewed in the militarys favor demonstrators are calling for new elections reforms of the monarchy and a more democratic constitution. And we want the democracy monument to be a place of meaning again. For our fight and to show that democracy is what we all truly want. Its not a violent protest nor does it cause harm to anyone weve come here peacefully. Earlier scuffles broke out between protesters and supporters of the monarchy thailands royal family is backed by the military and still enjoys support from many but the king is less popular than his father who died in 2016. On tuesday during commemorations of the death of the former monarch the kings motorcade was met with chants and the 3 finger salute the gesture has become a prodemocracy symbol borrowed from the hunger games film series about a dystopian totalitarian regime. Demanding a reform of the monarchy would have been unheard of just a few years ago but many now question the kings extravagant lifestyle he has been absent for most of the coronavirus crisis. Ending months in the gym an alpine retreat with an answer rush of 20 women criticizing the royals has been off limits in thailand due to harsh to from ation laws now a new generation of young protesters breaking down to be. A man to fish from congo has been found in 2000 euros by a french court for trying to steal an african artifact from a museum in paris was. A live stream his attempt to remove a 19th century relic he accuses france and other European Countries of plundering the places they colonized and says they should return the objects they took. Many would call this their ft but this activists hes only getting back what was taken away from his people i came to reclaim goods when i was stolen from africa during colony sation we saw this video of us live streamed on facebook back in june or west. And 4 other activists were trying to steal a funerary post from carroll lima see him in paris he failed but managed to draw attention to a topic that has recently triggered a heated debate should african art looted during colonialism be returned and if so how and when the congolese burn activists action is needed now on the do you never ask a thief for permission to get back what is still from you and thats what we did we have the right to defend ourselves because we were robbed the fact that our works are on display here means to theft continues to be less. Also caused a stir when he tried to steal a piece of art from a dutch museum as well as in the french city of must say some say these acts have to be considered as performances not just theft. Its a different way of saying things that have already been said in many forms for a long time since african countries gained independence on a diplomatic level in a dialogue between museums and International Corporation you know what you mean in a report commissioned by french president emanuel and the art historian said was looted art has to be given back and that up to 90 percent of african artworks are located outside of the continent the kemper lima c. M. Alone has more than 60000 objects taken from africa but according to this lawyer an art lover not all of them are looted he recently published a book on the topic. Some. Objects have obviously been taken away european states have to give back what was taken in wars but there are also other aspects of africans themselves all are too european to me. And his fellow activists its not only about bringing heritage spec home as he calls it he also wants european societies to face the realities of their colonial past that it is our goal to reach the biggest possible audience on the one hand are just foreign people in africa but also people in europe go yeah dad says says he does not fear possible fines not even prison sentences in his eyes this is about a lot more than just his own destiny. Watching b. W. News heres a reminder of our top story at this hour governments across europe exposed to new restrictions as they try to halt a 2nd wife of karl. Confident his record of the speed highest number of new infections since the start. Of next year on the dont do. Business out of date ill be back up top of the hour in the meantime of course as always the web site. This story a stubborn rice farmer from thailand. His problem. Is credo no chemical. Step