GERMANY: How a Humboldt Foundation fellow joined China′s military commission

This is not a spy thriller. We have therefore deliberately chosen not to name names. This is a story about the ethical gray zone of scientific collaboration between Germany and China.

There is a woman, a physicist, specializing in theoretical particle physics. After obtaining her Ph.D in China, she moves to Europe, initially for two years' research at a renowned institute of nuclear physics in Italy. She then spends three years at two German universities in Hamburg and Mainz. Scientific cooperation with China is politically desired in Germany. The government in Berlin believes it has "special significance for the long-term stability of bilateral relations."

But what if scientific cooperation is giving the Chinese arms industry an edge? Today, the physicist is employed by a Chinese academy best known for its research into nuclear weapons. A scientist who worked with her and other Chinese colleagues in Germany recalls: "They were extremely focused on the technical work. Usually not very visionary, but technically extremely well thought out. And all highly motivated."

Read more at: How a Humboldt Foundation fellow joined China′s military commission | World | Breaking news and perspectives from around the globe | DW | 20.05.2022

Ukraine: Nord Stream 2: Angela Merkel reassures Ukraine on gas transit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday vowed to guarantee Ukraine's status as an oil transit country for Russian gas even after the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is completed. brbr Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was meeting with top German officials on Monday in Berlin.

Read more at: Nord Stream 2: Angela Merkel reassures Ukraine on gas transit | News | DW | 12.07.2021