Germany's economy ministry will look "very closely" into a deal to supply Chinese-made wind turbines for an offshore project in Germany's North Sea, saying on Wednesday questions of critical infrastructure and competition must be addressed....
China does not play by the same rules and includes research into a wider range of industries, beyond traditional ones such as steel, including semiconductors, telecom equipment and renewable energy.
Europe (and other regions in the Amercas, Africa, and Asia) can't address this by tariffs alone imho. There is more to do. Not sure whether all political decision makers have understood that, but at least some appear to be heading into the right direction.
"Geopolitical risks, responses to China's economic and export strategy and maintaining free trade must be weighed up against each other."
The EU should not only focus on tariffs as the sole aspect of trade imo, but also raise the issue of state-imposed forced labor in China's EV industry, which significantly contributes to cheap Chinese EVs, as well as other violations of human rights abuses there. Among others, this requires unhindered access to Chinese plants across the supply chain for independent audits. Volkswagen itself admitted a few weeks ago that "no full supply chain transparency exists".
Volkswagen statement in May following accusations of forced labour in the Xinjiang plant (operated by VW's joint venture with SAIC)
"[...] as no full supply chain transparency [in China] exists."
Meanwhile, VW had left the joint venture over forced labour accusations.
Another report says:
Volkswagen said in December 2023 that an audit overseen by Markus Löning, Germany’s former commissioner for human rights, found “no indications” of forced labor at the Xinjiang joint venture plant, which is used to road test cars assembled elsewhere in China. Löning conceded, however, that the basis for the audit had been a review of documentation rather than interviews with workers, which he said could be “dangerous.” He also said that “even if they [workers] would be aware of something, they cannot say that in an interview.”
The same report continues:
In June 2023, ECCHR [European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights] filed a complaint with the [German] Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control [...], the German government authority overseeing the country’s Supply Chain Act. The complaint contends that Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are violating their obligations under the law by failing to adopt appropriate measures to identify and prevent the risks of state-imposed forced labor in their supply chains. [The Federal Office] has not yet responded publicly to the complaint.
And:
“We [Volkswagen] have no transparency about the supplier relationships of the non-controlled shareholding SAIC-Volkswagen.”
Die VW-Tochter MAN Energy Solutions wollte eigentlich ihr Gasturbinengeschäft an einen chinesischen Wettbewerber verkaufen - dagegen hatte das Wirtschaftsministerium Bedenken angemeldet. Das Kabinett hat dem nun Rechnung getragen....
pauschales Verbot von Chinesischen Investionen in Europa
Ich bin kein Jurist, aber China macht umgekehrt genau das mit westlichen Firmen. Du kannst in China als westliche Firma kein Tochterunternehmen gründen oder ein chinesisches Unternehmen kaufen (man braucht immer einen chinesischen Partner für ein Joint Venture), kein Land kaufen (etwa für Fabriken), etc.
Aber ja, Europa deshalb nicht unbedingt alles pauschal blockieren, da stimme ich auch zu, obwohl Reziprozität bei internationaler Zusammenarbeit wichtig ist. Ob China am längeren Hebel sitzt, weiss ich nicht. Entscheidungen trifft man halt schneller in Autokratien als in Demokratien, auch wenn wir in Europa manchmal länger brauchen als nötig wäre.
Zu den sicherheitsrelevanten Produkten sollten aber meiner Ansicht nach jedenfalls noch weitere dazu kommen, etwa wenn es um Lieferketten-Audits geht. Solange es aufgrund mangelnder Transparenz keine unabhängigen Audit gibt in China, sollte man zumindest auch diese Produkte gegebenenfalls blocken, damit so Dinge wie Zwangsarbeit ausgeschlossen werden können.
Aber abgesehen von meinen Geschwafel stimme ich Dir auch zu ;-)
Germany's cabinet blocked the planned sale of Volkswagen's subsidiary MAN Energy Solutions' gas turbine division to a Chinese company on Wednesday, two government sources said....
"We encourage you to consider, beyond the state subsidies, other reasons leading Chinese EVs to be sold at prices below market in the EU," Philippe Dam, EU Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), writes in an open letter to the European Commission....
Containers of tomato paste exported from Xinjiang to Italy are the subject of domestic criminal and international complaints filed by rights lawyers on behalf of Uyghur advocacy groups who allege that the goods were produced using Uyghur forced labor....
Yes, that's a very illuminating documentary. DW shows just half of it, the entire film has around 90 minutes and was available at www.arte.tv until three or so weeks ago. Maybe Arte TV puts it online again at a later time.
UniCredit said on Monday it was challenging the terms set by the European Central Bank (ECB) for the Italian bank to cut its exposure to Russia, and seeking a ruling from the European Union's General Court, as well as a freezing of the request in the meantime....
Auf dem Weg zum Parteitag in Essen hat der AfD-Delegierte Stefan Hrdy am Samstag offenbar zweimal Demonstrierende attackiert. Während sich Hrdy (67, ehemaliger GSG9-Polizist) in Interviews als Opfer inszeniert und von "Notwehr" spricht, witzelt er in Gesprächen mit rechten Aktivisten gut gelaunt über die Bissattacke....
Ich hätte das so erwartet, aber nicht aus eigener Intuition, sondern weil es viele Studien gibt, die das praktisch alle bestätigen. Es gibt sogar zufällig eine aktuelle Meta-Studie dazu:
Drawing on both academic and industry sources, our research team combined the results from more than four decades of prior research on spending behaviour and payment methods into a large dataset.
This data spanned 71 research papers, 17 countries, and more than 11,000 participants. State-of-the-art meta-analysis techniques then allowed us to collectively analyse the results from all these prior studies, and re-examine their insights.
We found that cashless payments were indeed associated with higher levels of consumer spending compared to cash transactions, something that is referred to in the literature as the “cashless effect”.
This cashless effect was consistent across all other payment methods in the data set.
Put simply, it doesn’t matter whether you use a credit card, debit card or a buy-now-pay-later service – you are likely to spend more money using cashless methods than when you pay with cash.
in February 2024, the EU Parliament adopted the eIDAS regulation, creating the framework for a "European Digital Identity Wallet". This digital Wallet will enable citizens to identify themselves in a legally binding manner, both online and offline, sign documents, login into websites and share personal data about them with...
The University Hospital Centre Zagreb (KBC Zagreb) is under cyberattack that started on Wednesday (June 26) night. All services are working, but the processing of patients is slower than usual, Milivoj Novak, Assistant Director at the hospital, has said....
At the Public Spaces conference in the Netherlands on June 6th, Alexis Kauffmann from the French Ministry of Education and co-founder of the non-profit software platform FraMaSoft, discussed France’s move towards a comprehensive open source-based education strategy, 2023-2027. The aim is to achieve digital sovereignty and...
Repression gegen die tibetische Gemeinschaft: Bei Protesten gegen den geplanten Bau eines Wasserkraftwerkes, für dessen Inbetriebnahme mehrere Dörfer und tibetische Klöster von grosser historischer Bedeutung überflutet werden sollen, wurden im Frühjahr 2024 über tausend Menschen, darunter Nonnen und Mönche, verhaftet. Bis zu einer Million tibetische Schülerinnen und Schüler ab 4 Jahren – das sind über 80 Prozent aller schulpflichtigen tibetischen Kinder – werden gezwungen, Internatsschulen fern von ihren Familien zu besuchen, wo ihnen nur die chinesische Sprache und Kultur vermittelt wird.
Repression gegen die uigurische Gemeinschaft in Ostturkestan (chin. Xinjiang): Weltweit Schlagzeilen machte in den vergangenen Jahren die Inhaftierung von etwa einer Million Menschen in so genannten “Umerziehungslagern”, wo sie indoktriniert und teilweise gefoltert und vergewaltigt werden. Während jüngst einige dieser Lager aufgrund des internationalen Drucks geschlossen wurden, wird die uigurische Bevölkerung auch ausserhalb überwacht. Ehemalige Insass:innen der Lager werden unter Hausarrest gestellt, zu langjährigen Haftstrafen verurteilt oder müssen Zwangsarbeit leisten. Zudem ist dokumentiert, wie die chinesische Regierung durch Zwangssterilisationen und weitere Massnahmen zur Geburtenkontrolle bei uigurischen Frauen eine dramatische Änderung der demografischen Zusammensetzung in der Region herbeiführt.
It was a confrontation that marked the culmination of a BBC investigation that had begun 51 days earlier - hours after five people, including a seven-year-old girl named Sara, had died in the sea off northern France. She had suffocated beneath a crush of bodies inside an inflatable boat....
The ongoing EURO 2024 is a case in point with a significant portion of sponsors hailing from China, alongside Qatari state-owned entities like Qatar Airways and Visit Qatar. The European Football Federation UEFA's flagship event, therefore, appears less European on the sponsorship side and more entangled in the geopolitical...
The NGO 'Stop Uyghur Genocide' is urging the financial regulator to refuse the application on legal grounds. The group said that minority Uyghur people in China are being used for forced labour in Shein’s Xingjiang-based cotton supply chain....
Rivian and Volkswagen Group intend to enter a joint venture to create next generation software-defined vehicle (SDV) platforms to be used in both companies’ future electric vehicles....
German government examines deal for the supply of Chinese wind turbines for an offshore project in the German North Sea over security concerns Englisch
Germany's economy ministry will look "very closely" into a deal to supply Chinese-made wind turbines for an offshore project in Germany's North Sea, saying on Wednesday questions of critical infrastructure and competition must be addressed....
UK: Welsh Government to introduce a law which will make it illegal for politicians to lie ( www.bbc.com ) Englisch
A ban on politicians lying will be brought in before the 2026 Senedd [the Welsh parliament] elections, the Welsh government has promised....
China and Russia jointly develop strike drones, Ukraine allies worry about Beijing may boost production, European officials say ( eutoday.net ) Englisch
Archived link...
EU governments hesitant on Chinese EV tariffs as trade spat escalates ( www.reuters.com ) Englisch
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/17578625
German car industry urges EU to drop tariffs on China-made cars ( www.reuters.com ) Englisch
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/17574296
Deutsche Regierung stoppt Verkauf von VW-Tochter an Chinesen wegen möglichen Einsatzes der Technik in Kriegsschiffen ( www.tagesschau.de ) Englisch
Die VW-Tochter MAN Energy Solutions wollte eigentlich ihr Gasturbinengeschäft an einen chinesischen Wettbewerber verkaufen - dagegen hatte das Wirtschaftsministerium Bedenken angemeldet. Das Kabinett hat dem nun Rechnung getragen....
German government blocks planned sale of VW's gas turbine business to China over security concerns ( www.reuters.com ) Englisch
Germany's cabinet blocked the planned sale of Volkswagen's subsidiary MAN Energy Solutions' gas turbine division to a Chinese company on Wednesday, two government sources said....
Russia using Kaliningrad as a base to disrupt EU satellites, report says ( www.cybersecurity-help.cz ) Englisch
Original report (pdf)...
Human Rights Watch urges the European Commission to assess the impact of state-imposed forced labor in China's Xinjiang region in Electric Vehicle sector ( www.hrw.org ) Englisch
"We encourage you to consider, beyond the state subsidies, other reasons leading Chinese EVs to be sold at prices below market in the EU," Philippe Dam, EU Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), writes in an open letter to the European Commission....
Italy: lawyers file complaints of Uyghur forced labour over tomato paste exported from China's Xinjiang region ( www.tomatonews.com ) Englisch
Containers of tomato paste exported from Xinjiang to Italy are the subject of domestic criminal and international complaints filed by rights lawyers on behalf of Uyghur advocacy groups who allege that the goods were produced using Uyghur forced labor....
Italy's banking giant UniCredit challenges terms set by European regulator to cut its exposure to Russia, seeks ruling from the EU's General Court ( www.reuters.com ) Englisch
UniCredit said on Monday it was challenging the terms set by the European Central Bank (ECB) for the Italian bank to cut its exposure to Russia, and seeking a ruling from the European Union's General Court, as well as a freezing of the request in the meantime....
Amid a decline in democratic standards, the Serbian government uses large-scale installation of surveillance systems with facial recognition technology to monitor opponents, activists and journalists ( balkaninsight.com ) Englisch
Archived link...
Deutschland: AfD-Mitglied soll auf dem Weg zum Parteitag in Essen einen Demonstranten gebissen und zwei SPD-Politikerinnen bespuckt haben ( www.zdf.de ) Englisch
Auf dem Weg zum Parteitag in Essen hat der AfD-Delegierte Stefan Hrdy am Samstag offenbar zweimal Demonstrierende attackiert. Während sich Hrdy (67, ehemaliger GSG9-Polizist) in Interviews als Opfer inszeniert und von "Notwehr" spricht, witzelt er in Gesprächen mit rechten Aktivisten gut gelaunt über die Bissattacke....
How Gazprombank’s Luxembourg subsidiary has made record profits since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine ( meduza.io ) Englisch
Archived link...
Restaurantgäste geben deutlich mehr aus, wenn sie mit Kreditkarte statt Bargeld zahlen ( www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ) Englisch
Deutsche Übersetzung des Abstracts:...
Arbeitszeitdebatte in Deutschland: Die unerträgliche Faulheit der anderen -- (Kommentar) ( www.spiegel.de ) Englisch
Archiv...
New technical framework for the European Digital Identity Wallet (eIDAS) reveals severe shortcomings, threatening user privacy and contradicting the regulation's intent, rights group says ( epicenter.works ) Englisch
in February 2024, the EU Parliament adopted the eIDAS regulation, creating the framework for a "European Digital Identity Wallet". This digital Wallet will enable citizens to identify themselves in a legally binding manner, both online and offline, sign documents, login into websites and share personal data about them with...
A Den of Spies: Vienna Emerges as Hub for Russian Espionage ( www.wsj.com ) Englisch
Moscow allegedly plotted to kill an investigative journalist in Austria. Now his home is protected by officers with submachine guns.
China-Russia alignment "a threat to Europe's security", report says ( merics.org ) Englisch
Archived link...
Largest Croatian hospital under cyberattack by pro-Russian hacker group ( www.helpnetsecurity.com ) Englisch
The University Hospital Centre Zagreb (KBC Zagreb) is under cyberattack that started on Wednesday (June 26) night. All services are working, but the processing of patients is slower than usual, Milivoj Novak, Assistant Director at the hospital, has said....
UK: Rights group wins appeal over investigation into 'slave labour' cotton produced in China's Xinjiang region Englisch
cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/259212...
Deutschland: Kanzler Scholz kritisiert FDP-Minister Wissing wegen "Alleingang" bei Datentransfer-Einigung mit China ( www.berlinertageblatt.de ) Englisch
Archiv...
How France Adopts An Open Source-Based Education Strategy – Free of Big Tech ( dataethics.eu ) Englisch
At the Public Spaces conference in the Netherlands on June 6th, Alexis Kauffmann from the French Ministry of Education and co-founder of the non-profit software platform FraMaSoft, discussed France’s move towards a comprehensive open source-based education strategy, 2023-2027. The aim is to achieve digital sovereignty and...
‘The state encourages it’: Amid the full-scale war in Ukraine, thousands of Russians have reported their fellow citizens for dissent ( meduza.io ) Englisch
Archived link...
EU warns Georgia's NGO law is blocking its path to joining ( www.bbc.com ) Englisch
The EU has been critical about the passing of the new foreign influence law, which is due to come into effect next month....
Vast majority of German companies support tariffs on Chinese products, including e-cars, demand stop of technology transfers to China over fears tech could be used for Chinese military, study says ( www.iwkoeln.de ) Englisch
Here is the study (pdf)...
"Prinzipien im Ausverkauf": Schweizer Menschenrechtsorganisation kritisiert Regierung in Bern wegen ihrer China-Politik und fordert mehr Fokus auf Menschenrechte und Demokratie ( www.publiceye.ch ) Englisch
“I swear it’s not me": The BBC tracks down the man behind the Channel crossing which killed Sara, 7 ( www.bbc.com ) Englisch
It was a confrontation that marked the culmination of a BBC investigation that had begun 51 days earlier - hours after five people, including a seven-year-old girl named Sara, had died in the sea off northern France. She had suffocated beneath a crush of bodies inside an inflatable boat....
Alipay, BYD, AliExpress, Vivo: Sponsors of European football championship 'Euro 2024' linked to forced labour and pornographic content for minors ( www.playthegame.org ) Englisch
The ongoing EURO 2024 is a case in point with a significant portion of sponsors hailing from China, alongside Qatari state-owned entities like Qatar Airways and Visit Qatar. The European Football Federation UEFA's flagship event, therefore, appears less European on the sponsorship side and more entangled in the geopolitical...
UK: Human rights group calls on regulator to block Shein’s attempt to list on the London Stock Exchange over forced labour accusations in the company’s China-based cotton supply chain ( www.retail-week.com ) Englisch
The NGO 'Stop Uyghur Genocide' is urging the financial regulator to refuse the application on legal grounds. The group said that minority Uyghur people in China are being used for forced labour in Shein’s Xingjiang-based cotton supply chain....
Orbán government launches investigation into Hungarian branch of Transparency International (TI) over activities funded from “subsidies from abroad” that “influence the decisions by the electorate” ( transparency.hu ) Englisch
cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/182384...
German carmaker Volkswagen to invest up to $5bn in US-based electric vehicle company Rivian to share technology ( rivian.com ) Englisch
cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/181995...
Orbán government launches investigation into Hungarian branch of Transparency International (TI) over activities funded from “subsidies from abroad” that “influence the decisions by the electorate” ( transparency.hu ) Englisch
Archived link...
German carmaker Volkswagen to invest up to $5bn in US-based electric vehicle company Rivian to share technology ( rivian.com ) Englisch
Rivian and Volkswagen Group intend to enter a joint venture to create next generation software-defined vehicle (SDV) platforms to be used in both companies’ future electric vehicles....