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.
Updated: 23 September 2009
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.