In this podcast [23 min], Insightview has interviewed Berlingske Newspaper's China expert, Lene Winther, and asked her whether the latest China criticism in Denmark and the rest of Europe is an expression of hypocrisy - and whether the criticism is coming too late. Also, we talk about in which direction President Xi Jinping is leading China. ‌Lene, who has also hosted the Danish radio program, "China Talk", has ‌had a critical, but balanced, approach to China's increasing influence in Europe. Lene has also worked as an international journalist for Danmarks Radio. [image: Berlingske]
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‌Until recently, China has been an important trading partner for Denmark and other European countries, as well as for the United States. However, a virus has radically changed the mood. Most Danish politicians, institutions and media have suddenly declared China the number one enemy. Recently, Danish media and politicians have condemned the University of Aalborg's cooperation with Hikvision, a partially state-owned Chinese manufacturer and supplier of video surveillance equipment for civilian and military purposes. Furthermore, the University of Copenhagen ended a long-standing collaboration with Fudan University in Shanghai.
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‌Nonetheless, Denmark has been one of the least China-critical countries in Europe, despite China has been accused of having breached human rights conventions in the form of, among other things, re-education camps in Xinjiang, a Muslim province in the western part of the country. Many Danish politicians, journalists and analysts have often uncritically praised China's economic and technological capabilities - although many of these voices appear now silent or they have made a U-turn. 
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‌Click here to read Lene's latest articles. 
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‌‌See all previous podcast interviews here.
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‌‌Music: music-of-nature, Melodyloops, license‌