Dragon Fire
Non-Fiction, Politics / Economics, Current Affairs, Social Studies / Cultural Studies
“The fire of the Chinese dragon will put the heat on us.”
China extends its influence like a new colonial power: Chinese businesses are being managed in an authoritarian model, just like the Communist party.
In Hong Kong, an authoritarian regime clashes with a western-oriented populace.
The Chinese consider us lazy. And compared to them, we actually are. On an annual basis, over 1,500 kilometers of new rails for high-speed trains, over a dozen new skyscrapers in Shenzhen alone, and at least 1.38 million new patents: China’s dictatorship is driving a highly efficient economy. It is also building a digital surveillance apparatus, the likes of which the world has never seen. China is extending its influence as if it were a new colonial power – whether in Africa, along the new Silk Road, or through investments in Greece and Portugal, in return for which those countries have to show loyalty to China when faced with EU resolutions.
Other countries are starting to view the Chinese model as an example to follow. Obviously you don’t need a democracy to be successful. In Hong Kong, China’s authoritarian system is now clashing with the West’s democratic model.
- Insights from a renowned journalist: For five years, Thomas Reichert was the director of the ZDF East Asia Studio in Beijing
Thomas Reichart, born in 1971, led the ZDF East Asia Studio in Beijing from 2014 to 2019, where he was responsible for covering China, North and South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. He is the multi-award winning author of numerous documentaries, including the two-part series “The New Silk Road - China’s Incursion into The West.” Since 2020, he has been covering foreign affairs and security policies for the Berlin Capital City Studio.
“The fire of the Chinese dragon will put the heat on us.”
China extends its influence like a new colonial power: Chinese businesses are being managed in an authoritarian model, just like the Communist party.
In Hong Kong, an authoritarian regime clashes with a western-oriented populace.
The Chinese consider us lazy. And compared to them, we actually are. On an annual basis, over 1,500 kilometers of new rails for high-speed trains, over a dozen new skyscrapers in Shenzhen alone, and at least 1.38 million new patents: China’s dictatorship is driving a highly efficient economy. It is also building a digital surveillance apparatus, the likes of which the world has never seen. China is extending its influence as if it were a new colonial power – whether in Africa, along the new Silk Road, or through investments in Greece and Portugal, in return for which those countries have to show loyalty to China when faced with EU resolutions.
Other countries are starting to view the Chinese model as an example to follow. Obviously you don’t need a democracy to be successful. In Hong Kong, China’s authoritarian system is now clashing with the West’s democratic model.
- Insights from a renowned journalist: For five years, Thomas Reichert was the director of the ZDF East Asia Studio in Beijing