Chinese Whispers

As Germany celebrates the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dramatic changes brought by the events of 1989, the anniversary will pass quietly in China.

Top technology firms in China now account for almost half of the top-20 global firms. But as these companies seek to develop globally, their close association with the Chinese government is a force that both pushes them forward and holds them back.

As the framework of former World Bank economist Justin Lin Yifu is offered across the globe as a "Chinese model" for economic development, it's a good time to understand the fuller context of Lin's ideas.

As waves of online nationalism in China continue to strike European businesses, it's a good time to become more familiar with the dynamics behind this phenomenon. 

Nestled deep in the mountains of southern Bulgaria is the most unlikely of connections, between a tiny village and a multinational food and beverage giant based in the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai. 

Thanks to a growing network of sites in Europe catering to Chinese demand for Communism-themed attractions, it is now possible to tour beyond China’s borders and never leave the Chinese political context. Welcome to the world of international red tourism.

If you hope to grasp the current affairs in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, it is imperative to return to their Communist pasts. A strange interplay has emerged between the Communism of former days and the right-wing populism of the present.