this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2024
119 points (99.2% liked)

Europe

1509 readers
332 users here now

News and information from Europe 🇪🇺

(Current banner: La Mancha, Spain. Feel free to post submissions for banner images.)

Rules (2024-08-30)

  1. This is an English-language community. Comments should be in English. Posts can link to non-English news sources when providing a full-text translation in the post description. Automated translations are fine, as long as they don't overly distort the content.
  2. No links to misinformation or commercial advertising. When you post outdated/historic articles, add the year of publication to the post title. Infographics must include a source and a year of creation; if possible, also provide a link to the source.
  3. Be kind to each other, and argue in good faith. Don't post direct insults nor disrespectful and condescending comments. Don't troll nor incite hatred. Don't look for novel argumentation strategies at Wikipedia's List of fallacies.
  4. No bigotry, sexism, racism, antisemitism, dehumanization of minorities, or glorification of National Socialism.
  5. Be the signal, not the noise: Strive to post insightful comments. Add "/s" when you're being sarcastic (and don't use it to break rule no. 3).
  6. If you link to paywalled information, please provide also a link to a freely available archived version. Alternatively, try to find a different source.
  7. Light-hearted content, memes, and posts about your European everyday belong in [email protected]. (They're cool, you should subscribe there too!)
  8. Don't evade bans. If we notice ban evasion, that will result in a permanent ban for all the accounts we can associate with you.
  9. No posts linking to speculative reporting about ongoing events with unclear backgrounds. Please wait at least 12 hours. (E.g., do not post breathless reporting on an ongoing terror attack.)

(This list may get expanded when necessary.)

We will use some leeway to decide whether to remove a comment.

If need be, there are also bans: 3 days for lighter offenses, 14 days for bigger offenses, and permanent bans for people who don't show any willingness to participate productively. If we think the ban reason is obvious, we may not specifically write to you.

If you want to protest a removal or ban, feel free to write privately to the mods: @[email protected], @[email protected], or @[email protected].

founded 4 months ago
MODERATORS
 

Ante Ivkovic herded sheep in Bosnia-Herzegovina with his father as a child. Years later, without his consent or knowledge, he says, a wind farm was built on his property by a Chinese company.

The Chinese wind farm company, headquartered in the capital Sarajevo, declined to comment on camera. In an email, they stated they relied on Bosnian documents that confirmed the concession's legality and claimed there were no unresolved ownership issues.

Ivkovic, with the help of his lawyer, is pursuing legal action to prove his ownership. His lawyer is gathering evidence from archives to build the case.

[...]

Chinese wind energy companies have been aggressively expanding into the European market, undercutting European competitors by significant margins, thanks to state subsidies. This is evident not only in Bosnia, but also in neighboring Croatia.

[...]

The EU has taken notice. Under Ursula von der Leyen's leadership, the EU is scrutinizing Chinese wind farms, investigating whether state subsidies are giving them an unfair advantage over European competitors. Lobbyists warn that with every new wind farm, China tightens its grip on Europe's energy supply.

"On a modern wind turbine there are around 300 sensors on the different components of the turbine, which are giving information to the wind farm owner and operator, and to the turbine manufacturer about the performance. And many people in Europe are saying, 'do we want to give that power to entities outside of Europe to control the functioning of wind turbines?'," says Giles Dickson, the CEO of WindEurope.

[...]

Will a retiree be able to assert his rights against a 160-million-euro project? This case will help determine how much property rights are worth in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] -2 points 2 days ago (7 children)

"One part is an economic issue of overcapacity in China, and the Communist Party is encouraging Chinese companies to move out into the world, to move production into the world," says Zoltan Feher from the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub

Ah, wow, what a scandal that the commis came up with the idea of economic expansion.

"On a modern wind turbine there are around 300 sensors on the different components of the turbine, which are giving information to the wind farm owner and operator, and to the turbine manufacturer about the performance. And many people in Europe are saying, 'do we want to give that power to entities outside of Europe to control the functioning of wind turbines?'," says Giles Dickson, the CEO of WindEurope.

“many people in Europe are saying…” says the CEO of WindEurope. What’s his name? Trump?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 days ago (6 children)

This is still seemingly a case of a Chinese business developing on land they don't own. Even if they do own it, economic expansion into other territories SHOULD worry some people when it comes to the major powers (US included) as it's been shown they don't play nice when they have access to your Major resources.

Germany couldn't give up Russia for Oil, don't make the Baltic states rely on China for electricity. Subsidize builds in your own country the best you can, but competing with government-backed foreign entities is a good way to lose a bidding war.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Difficult to say what’s exactly happening with the land ownership in this case. Probably the local government fucked over this guy, but not the Chinese.

About economic expansion. We do acknowledge that Capitalism is what makes the world go ‘round, but we don’t want others to be successful with it. Because if you are successful you need new markets. That’s why we want the Chinese to open up their markets for us more, we want Africa to open their markets for us more. If we close everything up, like the US under Trump and the EU under Von der Leyen, we are doing what most countries were doing 100 years ago. Part of which led to whatever we should have learnt by now.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

I acknowledge that capitalism is an inherently evil system designed to extract all value from an object, I do not recognize that's what makes the world go round.

And I'm not saying to close the borders and prevent all foreign trade. But I'm staunchly against any land purchases by foreign entities. China has already shown it's hand in how it handles international disputes about its purchased land, we've seen how they behave in Africa, along the Indian border, their investment and meddling in the housing markets of Australia. You want Lithuania or Poland or Uzbekistan to have some business deals, sure, with regulation have at it. But keep China's land grabs and the US's military bases within their borders.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago (1 children)

We want the Chinese to open up their markets ...

They simply don't. One necessity of international trade and competition is reciprocity, but in China, foreign companies can't even establish a subsidiary. They need a Chinese partner who would then own the majority of the joint venture, while the foreigner own a minority stake in the company. And that's just one issue among many.

In addition, Europe should not replace its dependence on Russian fossil fuels with dependence on Chinese renewable energy technology. That doesn't make sense.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Depends on the industry sector whether China requires a joint venture or not. Apart from the automotive industry, afaik the sectors in which the Chinese exert control over foreign investment are largely the same ones where the EU or the US exert control over foreign influence. Energy is of course part of that. Bosnia Herzegovina is not inside the EU though.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

There are multiple examples of Chinese subsidiaries and/or takeovers of European companies in Europe, but there are no examples of European companies doing the same in China. In no sector. The rules are nowhere the same, not even remotely.

The only Chinese province where completely foreign-owned companies were possible was Xiamen, but that lasted until the 2000s or so (I don't remember the exact date). Your statements are outright false.

In all what constitutes fair competition, China lacks behind. China is a totally closed shop by any comparable standards with -in addition to that- grave human rights issues in the country, and the situation has been worsening in recent years.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 days ago

China is in the process of opening up to foreign investment. A new law in 2020 set foreign companies on par with domestic ones in many industries. As I understand it, subsidiaries can be completely foreign owned. They have to register of course.

https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/guides/doing-business-in-china-part-2---establishing-a-business-in-china

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (3 replies)