Where has the “Merkel Era” gone, and why have China-German relations changed so much? Recently, a friend related the shocking experience of a wealthy German businessman setting up a business in China. It may be helpful for other business people considering doing business in that communist stronghold. This is an eye-opening experience but not unusual for both foreign and native people doing business in China.
Freiburg, in Baden-Württemberg, is a famous cultural city in Germany, hosting many tourists. There is a Falun Gong information desk in the city center. One day, my friend was at the information desk when a senior German gentleman came in and, without saying a word, picked up a pen and signed the three petition forms for: “Anti Persecution, Anti Live Organ Harvesting, and Ending the CCP.”
How did you find out the truth?
My friend asked: “It seems you know the truth, so how did you find out?”
The German gentleman, a wealthy businessman, said: “I have been to mainland China with the Beijing government. I invested my capital and new technology to create a joint venture with the Chinese side. It was good at first, but then it turned out that there were fewer and fewer orders coming in. My products are very popular in China, so why did the market dry up so quickly?”
Later, a loyal customer told the German businessman: “A Chinese-funded company now sells the same products as yours, and they are being sold cheaper than yours.”
Joint venture protection laws in China exist in name only
The German businessman said he was shocked when he realized that his technology, in which he holds a significant share, had been stolen, the so-called joint venture existed in name only, and his partner had set up another portal.
My friend asked the wealthy German businessman: “Is there no intellectual property protection clause in the contract between the two sides?”
“Of course there is,” the businessman replied. “Don’t forget, Germany is a typical contract country, and the business community is subject to stringent laws. However, cases of intellectual property infringement of foreign capital are often unwinnable in China because the thieves have the government’s backing behind them. For them, there is no risk, cost, or fear. Litigating in China? Even the police and the courts act arbitrarily; what else can we expect?”
The German businessman sighed: “How can the Chinese Communist regime improve its economic status by stealing advanced technology from other countries? Imagine, if my family knows that I failed miserably, as well as my colleagues in Baden, Germany, and Europe know my experience, will anyone dare to go to China and take risks?” His opinion now of the regime: “The CCP is perverse.”
The wealthy German businessman is disappointed with the Chinese Communists. So will he also have an opinion of the Chinese people because of this? After all, although the Communist Party of China (CCP) is not China, the Chinese people are the biggest victims of the CCP; not everyone can soberly and rationally realize this.
Unexpectedly, the wealthy German businessman shared a touching opinion: “The CCP is perverse and does not abide by the rules of the international community system; it can only be an outlaw. Is this not the CCP itself dissociating from the international community? It is the Chinese people who will live a hard life. This is not a Chinese choice or value; otherwise, China would not have thousands of years of long histories.”
“Although I have been hurt, I love China and know it has been glorious. I support your beliefs and support ending the CCP’s totalitarian rule. With you here, China has hope, and I believe that China will still be glorious!”
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