Andreas Hoffbauer
After his studies in economics, Andreas Hoffbauer (b. 1959) joined the editorial staff of the Düsseldorf-based Handelsblatt in 1999, first as chief of its London office, and since 2005 as its correspondent in Beijing.
Pressing ahead with its worldwide expansion agenda, China is now snatching up contracts in highly-indebted Eastern Europe. Beijing is hell bent on out-leveraging the Western competition there by offering dumping prices and cheap loans. But this is not just about fat contracts, writes the Handelsblatt: the Middle Kingdom is also buying political sway.