Isabell Peters: what Germany can learn from China's e-government

Professor Isabell Peters discusses her experiences in China, Beijing’s surveillance apparatus, and what Germany can learn from the People’s Republic – despite all the legitimate criticism.

For decades China was regarded as the world’s factory floor. That has fundamentally changed. Network equipment maker Huawei is among the leading suppliers of 5G technology. The video platform TikTok is the fastest-growing social network in the world.

China was already the world’s largest market for online commerce before the Covid-19 pandemic. During lockdowns and social distancing it has experienced an unprecedented boom. At the same time the Chinese state is using digital tools at scale. During the pandemic it has massively expanded its repertoire of population controls.

Isabell Peters has seen this first-hand. She is a professor of e-government and digital transformation at the Lower Saxony Institute for Municipal Administration – and until recently she was living in Beijing. She has seen how digital China operates and can draw direct comparisons to Germany.

The state of Chinese companies in Germany and Europe is examined by Chinese journalist Effy Zhang, currently in Germany on a prestigious German Chancellor Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, analysing Chinese investment in Europe. Her conversations with decision-makers in industry and government have yielded revealing findings.

Handelsblatt journalist Christof Kerkmann also reports from the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin. In the time of the Covid pandemic, much is different. He explains why he is in Berlin regardless.

The episode is hosted by Stephan Scheuer, head of Handelsblatt’s technology team.