All about bicycles, electric-assisted bikes, technology and safety in the press

The most common safety risks that we come across in our daily work around bicycle safety, technology and operating instructions are also published by us in articles in the leading German special-interest magazines TOUR (Europe's road bike magazine no. 1), BIKE (Europe's mountain bike magazine no. 1), MYBIKE and EMTB in order to make this information, which is important for the industry, available to a wider public.

For many years now, the Eurobike Show Daily, trade fair magazine of the annual Eurobike Show, has also given us the opportunity to publish our view of major developments in the cycle industry in full-page articles.

We also speak regularly in independent expert presentations about all areas of bicycle technology and the bicycle market. In addition, we are quoted by further special-interest magazines of the industry and the trade as well as increasingly by radio and television in their media reports, which shows us that we are spot on with our advice. The section "News" informs you about the latest news from our specialist areas. The reports and publications of this section are listed chronologically or according to areas of interest.

prisma.de, 2023/03/08
Reading time 1:45 minutes

“ARD Story: The China Trap: how blackmailable are we?”: Germany’s fatale dependence

China continues to expand its power influence. The ARD story  “The China Trap: how blackmailable are we?” (Die China-Falle: wie erpressbar sind wir?) sheds light on how dependent Germany is on the great power.

Bicycle expert Dirk Zedler impressively highlights how dependent German SMEs are on supplies from China

As if the world hasn't already got enough into a state of disorder with the war of aggression on Ukraine and the rapidly increasing energy problems: The explosive new documentary “ARD Story: The China Trap: how blackmailable are we?” by Philipp Abresch and Mario Schmidt takes a critical look at the close ties between the German economy and the Asian superpower. A new threat to the prosperity and future viability of Germany as an export nation is becoming more and more apparent. The German government is increasingly worried about its dependence on China - especially because there are signs of new escalations and crises that could even lead to an open confrontation between China and the USA.

If China cancels supplier contracts, German SMEs would be threatened with closure

The conflict over Taiwan has been rumbling for a long time. “If it escalates overnight, it would be the worst case scenario for us” says Peter Bachmann from the photovoltaic company Solarwatt. He fears a lack of supplies from China - similar to many other producers in Germany who have become fatally dependent on China in the course of an increasingly questionable China strategy.

It is still completely unclear what is to take the place of the previous, now increasingly naïve faith in globalised free trade. If China cancels supplier contracts, German SMEs would also be threatened with closure. Bicycle expert Dirk Zedler demonstrates, for example, what a bicycle would look like without parts from China: “This wouldn’t be a bicycle, you would have a few components.”

And the answer to the title question of the documentary is also given - but in very sobering way. “Of course we are blackmailable,” says Berlin pharmacist Anke Rüdinger. She cannot and will no longer rely on the supply of drugs from China. Instead, she mixes her own products locally again - according to her own formulation.

ARD Story: The China Trap: how blackmailable are we? – Wednesday, March 8, – ARD: 10:50 p.m.

Source: teleschau – der mediendienst GmbH

Author: Rupert Sommer
Photo: NDR

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