China: perspectives of a world power

From developing nation to world leader: today nobody can ignore China’s global creative force. China is also playing an increasingly important role in finding solutions to the challenges of international cooperation. With this in mind, the new issue of the GIZ magazine akzente takes a closer look at this emerging global power.

The world’s most populous country is a nation of superlatives and contrasts. For instance, China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, accounting for 22 per cent of global emissions, but it is also the world’s largest investor in renewable energy by far, with investments in the region of USD 100 billion. In his essay, Professor Eberhard Sandschneider asserts that the country’s ascent is unstoppable. The China expert traces the country’s development over recent decades and shows how the West can respond to the new world order.

Further perspectives are provided by Chair of the German-Chinese parliamentary group Dagmar Schmidt, China expert and author Frank Sieren and Chinese singer Helen Feng. In this issue’s ‘In focus’ report, akzente accompanies Guido Beermann, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, on a trip through China. And Country Director Thorsten Giehler explains the transformation and diversity of GIZ’s activities in China.