I wonder who wins?
Labor Costs, Sick Leave, Productivity: Confidential Document: VW Compares German and Chinese Workers.
Ten percent of VW workers in Germany are sick at any given time. In China it’s less than two percent.
But at least in China these workers will soon be replaced by robots who will be working 24/7 and never call in sick.
Thanks again, China.
German battery maker Varta files insolvency applications – German battery manufacturer Varta has filed four insolvency applications, a spokesperson for the Stuttgart district court said on Friday, marking another setback for the company.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Varta planned to file for insolvency after its shareholders sports car maker Porsche AG and Austrian investor Michael Tojner declined to provide additional funding to the struggling company.
Varta now faces a potential breakup: Key creditors, including Deutsche Bank, intend to take over the profitable household battery business, while Tojner has expressed interest in the micro-battery division.
Varta lost its key customer in the spring: Apple plans to source the rechargeable “CoinPower” button cells for its AirPods headphones from China in the future.
For the Chinese.
And for anybody else who wants them. Take advantage of this Going-Out-Of-Business sale while you still can!
China owns more than 11,000 German-developed patents, IW study shows – China has taken ownership of more than 11,300 patents developed in Germany over the past two decades, according to a study by the German Economic Institute (IW) commissioned by the Bertelsmann Foundation.
Nearly one in three inventions developed in Germany is owned by a foreign entity. Of those, almost a third are held by U.S. owners and about 11% by Swiss owners, the study showed on Tuesday.
No de-risk, no fun?
Germany’s China problem – and why de-risking hasn’t worked.
Dan Wang of Eurasia Group discusses the paradox of Europe’s current trade strategy, noting that Germany’s efforts to “de-risk” over the past years have actually deepened its reliance on China’s supply chain.
Shi Spie Yoo too.
German authorities arrest 2 on China espionage allegations – Two Munich residents have been arrested on suspicion of working for a Chinese intelligence service, seeking to obtain and pass on high-tech information with “military applications.”
“In order to obtain access to scientific information about high-tech technologies with military applications, they built up contacts with numerous scientists at German universities and research institutes. Some scientists were lured to China on the premise of delivering lectures to the civilian audiences for remuneration,” prosecutors alleged. “In reality, these presentations then took place in front of associates of state-run weapons companies.”
A more radical resuscitation remedy may be needed.
Germany urged to stop admiring Beijing and wake up to ‘China Shock 2.0’ – ‘China has already eaten much of German industry’s lunch and is preparing to start on dinner,’ thinktank says.
Germany must stop admiring China’s success in the EU or it will sleepwalk into the kind of deindustrialisation the US experienced 25 years ago, a leading Brussels thinktank has said.
Smart move, Germany (Schleswig-Holstein).
Reminds me of those deeper ties to Russia right before the war in Ukraine broke out.
German state eyes deeper China cooperation in energy, innovation – Significant potential exists to deepen cooperation between the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein and east China’s Zhejiang Province, particularly in energy transition, hydrogen and advanced manufacturing, according to Daniel Guenther, minister president of Schleswig-Holstein.
His remarks come as the two regions mark 40 years of partnership, with both sides seeking to expand ties despite an increasingly complex geopolitical and trade environment.
China still not giving a lā shǐ.
Germany’s Leader Delivers a Blunt Warning to China on Trade – Chancellor Friedrich Merz laid out his complaints in a frank message to his hosts on a trip to Beijing that China had designed to showcase their relationship.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany arrived in China on Wednesday with an outstretched hand and a list of complaints for his hosts, asking for closer diplomatic ties but also relief from economic policies that he said were impeding “fair competition.”
More like a dead cat bounce.
German Economy Grows by 0.3% in Q4, Stats Office Says – The German economy grew by 0.3% in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared with the previous quarter, the statistics office said on Wednesday, confirming its preliminary reading.
Meanwhile… German auto exports to China plunged by a third in 2025, economic institute says.
For Germany.
“The China shock is here,” the German Economic Institute declared last year. Indeed, 2025 will go down as the year in which it could no longer be denied. Germany’s trade deficit with China reached a record level of €87 billion—an increase of €20 billion compared to the previous year. And German exports to China continue to be in free fall. The United States, France, the Netherlands, Poland, and Italy have by now become more important export markets for Germany than China.
Maybe not the best top trading partner to have.
Observing Hermann 