The Point with Liu Xin

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz just wrapped up his 3-day visit to China. With a packed schedule, the Chancellor's delegation was nothing short of impressive with ministers of environment, agriculture and transport, and also executives from big firms including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Siemens. The trip came as Brussels announced earlier this month an inquiry into Chinese-made wind turbines on top of another investigation into Chinese made new energy vehicles since last Oct. Is Scholz trying to have his cake and eat it too, promoting German businesses in China while staying in sync with Brussels? If so, how will that work? Was this visit to China a disappointment like some are saying? Or was it the latest example of respect-based dialogues between the two economies?

This year marks the 40th anniversary of financial dialogue and cooperation between China and Germany. Over the years, 300 projects across China with some 10 billion euros of investment from Germany have been jointly implemented. As German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting China, how can the two sides keep building the trust and strengthen cooperation to address new challenges facing the world today?

The United States, the UK and France came out to point fingers at China after a few recent run-ins between Chinese and Filipino vessels near the Ren'ai Jiao. But can they really defend their argument? What have their governments been saying about the subject in secret vs. in public since the beginning of the 20th century? One scholar decided to find out and spent years digging through piles of archives in the three countries. What he found really surprised him. He later put his findings in a book called The History and Sovereignty of South China Sea. What more do we know about this book?

What flows in the veins of the world's oldest continuous civilization? Today we're in the picturesque Mount Wuyi, where a 12th century scholar Zhu Xi spent 50 years and developed Neo-Confucianism. He also became known as a sage, second only to Confucius himself. His ideas have not only been absorbed by the Chinese but have also travelled to other parts of Asia. With China emphasizing a Chinese approach to modernization, it's necessary to find out more about this ancient figure and his ideas. Who is Zhu Xi and how have his ideas helped to shape the Chinese?

What flows in the veins of the world's oldest continuous civilization? Today we're in the picturesque Mount Wuyi, where a 12th century scholar Zhu Xi spent 50 years and developed Neo-Confucianism. He also became known as a sage, second only to Confucius himself. His ideas have not only been absorbed by the Chinese but have also travelled to other parts of Asia. With China emphasizing a Chinese approach to modernization, it's necessary to find out more about this ancient figure and his ideas. Who is Zhu Xi and how have his ideas helped to shape the Chinese?

Once again, some uninhabited reef in the South China Sea has come under the spotlight in the press. China is blamed for "bullying its small neighbor, encroaching on international freedom of navigation, and being unrestrained". The reef called Ren'ai Jiao is at the center of the dispute. The waters around the reef have become choppier over the past month, when skirmishes erupted frequently in its vicinities. Who is making waves in the South China Sea? What are facts and what are fallacies? Who is the agent provocateur?

From the end of March to the beginning of April, China will have received 5 successive state leaders from Global South countries, including Dominica, Nauru, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Kazakhstan. Dignitaries are warmly received by top Chinese leaders including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, and agreements have been reached to further deepen ties. What do these visits have in common and what do they mean for the wider international community?

When we talk about China, we often mention Chinese characteristics. What exactly does this term mean? What make up the Chinese characteristics? We have two international scholars join us today to share their thoughts on the concept.

China operates a democratic system that covers a population of more than 1.4 billion from 56 ethnic groups. What are the challenges? And steeped in a continuous civilization spanning thousands of years, how does Chinese culture influence its modern political system?

"You can't eat democracy," Zambia's President Hichilema put it bluntly last year. It is a stark reminder that governance isn't just about abstract ideals; it's also about putting food on the table. An international survey on democracy conducted in 30 countries found that people in developed countries have lower levels of trust in their politicians and don't believe they work in the best interests of the people: That's 29% in the U.S., 20% in the UK, 12% in Japan. But the numbers are much higher in developing countries. China, for instance, leads by a whopping 76%. This is a clear slap in the face for Western politicians who speak of democracy incessantly. We delve into how China's democracy is able to win that high-level of trust.

As the Chinese society has turned nearly cashless, newcomers may find it hard to enjoy their stay to the full, had they not prepared to adapt to the new digital scenario. To solve this problem, China has taken a series of measures including boosting the acceptance of overseas bank cards in venues where foreign visitors frequent. On March 14th, the People's Bank of China published a bilingual step-by-step guide to payment services in China. How effective have these measures been in facilitating payments for inbound travelers? What further improvements can be made?

Hong Kong is set to pass its own national security law, finally fulfilling the region's constitutional duty. Nearly 27 years after the handover, the outstanding loopholes in this regard are to be plugged with a bill called Safeguarding National Security. After a month-long public consultation period, the bill, as stipulated in Article 23 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, was introduced in the legislative council on March 8th, with majority support. It has not been passed yet, but it has come a long way. Now, on the heels of the bloody unrest that rocked the city in 2019 and 2020, the central government in Beijing enacted a National Security Law, or NSL, for the region in June of 2020. Why does the region introduce its own bill? What are the new offences that have been outlawed? And why are Western governments and mainstream media making so much noise about the bill, as they did nearly 4 years ago when the NSL was about to be introduced?

Global trade was expected to have shrunk by nearly 5% in 2023, according to a UN estimate last December. The UN report shows geopolitics as having greater impact on global trade patterns. The most vivid example is "friend-shoring," that is trading with politically aligned partners. Meanwhile, China will strengthen its major trading partner status with over 140 countries, with new energy vehicles, solar panels and lithium battery exports growing rapidly. How will these contradictory dynamics affect all of us? How can global governance on trade catch up with the ever evolving challenges?

The White House recently announced an investigation into whether Chinese EVs present "national security risks," drawing a parallel with "smartphones on wheels" that could collect sensitive U.S. data, and potentially being manipulated remotely by Beijing. The 25% tariff on Chinese-made cars, implemented by the Trump administration, persists under President Biden. Do Chinese EVs really pose a national security risk to the U.S.? With China emerging as a leading EV manufacturer and exporter, could these protection measures accelerate American carmakers' competitiveness?

Some media outlets are trying to paint a bleak picture of China's economy. However, China saw a GDP growth of 5.2% last year, hitting the government's own target. Despite facing challenges, China's economy achieved steady growth in 2023. How to evaluate China's growth last year? And how will China's economy perform in the coming years?

Exactly how much did the U.S. GDP grow last year? On January 25th, Wall Street Journal said "U.S. economy grew 3.1% last year," but on the same day, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the official agency responsible for the analysis and reporting of economic data, put the number at 2.5%. Which number shall we believe? With the U.S. media often leading the charge in highlighting worst-case scenarios for China's economy, are they doing the opposite when it comes to the U.S. economy?

Who is winning two years into the Russia-Ukraine conflict? Maybe it's neither. From the latest numbers, the winning party seems to be big U.S. corporations. A fact sheet released last month by the State Department shows that U.S. arms transfers and defense trade hit a record $240 billion last year. U.S. President Joe Biden told the media bluntly that U.S. "aid" to other countries and regions supports American jobs through arms production. Is the U.S. profiteering from the conflict in Ukraine? Is peace then bad for business? What's the implication for China?

How will AI change our world? In the past week, one name has been on the lips of everyone: Sora, a text-to-video tool that generated the one-minute video of a woman walking down a night-time street in Tokyo. The images, unveiled by OpenAI, the San Francisco start-up which also launched ChatGPT at the end of 2022, sent instant shockwaves around the world. While the inception of Sora excites many, the question looms for many more: what kind of uncertainty will the technology bring to our future? What kind of actions is needed to keep Sora and its counterparts a force for good?

An annual survey released ahead of the Munich Security Conference seems to show a strong sense of anxiety among G7 citizens in contrast to their emerging country counterparts. What explains this divergence in security risks? And, Volkswagen cars were impounded at U.S. ports due to an electrical component allegedly being produced in Xinjiang, and thereby in violation of the U.S.' "forced labor prevention act". Why is the U.S. fast and furious in stopping imports from Xinjiang, and in vain?

For the Chinese people and people of Chinese descent, the Chinese New Year is about snow, ice, firecrackers, and big family meals around steaming hot dishes. In this special edition of The Point, ambassadors of three Caribbean countries share their perspectives on their traditional festivals and their China experiences. Spoiler alert: Their China connections run deep, although they are all incredibly young.