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Newsweek 11/11/2022 IT HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT FOR COMPANIES TO BOND WITH AND NURTURE EMPLOYEES. HERE ARE THE BUSINESSES IN GREAT BRITAIN DOING JUST THAT
IN THE U.K., AS AROUND THE WORLD, THE threat of recession is looming over companies and employees alike. The worry: High inflation and interruptions to the energy
supply caused by the pandemic and the Ukraine war will cause corporate profits to shrink and spark major layoffs, hurting both the workers who’ve been let go and those who remain behind.
In this challenging environment, it’s especially important for companies to keep employees motivated and productive, giving them reasons to feel connected to and satisfied with the business they work for. Employers who succeed at this critical task—companies like the ones in our first U.K. edition of Newsweek’s 100 Most Loved Workplaces—are the ones most likely to thrive in the times ahead.
As with its U.S. counterpart, which was published in October, this collection of small, medium and large companies was produced with our research partner, the Best Practice Institute of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. What separates our list from other workplace rankings is that we get to the bottom of how employees feel about their whole working experience, rather than simply extol company benefits.
Our bottom line is this: Do workers feel loved— and in sync—with the company they work for?
That kind of “emotional connection,” as BPI terms it, can mean success for a company. This works for any business, big or small, says BPI founder and CEO Louis Carter, author of In Great Company: How to Spark Peak Performance by Creating an Emotionally Connected Workplace (Mcgraw-hill, 2019). BPI’S research director, Scott Baxt, also points out that employees, research shows, are as much as four times more likely to be more productive if they love their company. Those same workers also tend to stay on the job longer, cutting down on turnover.
As Baxt explains, the businesses on this, and the U.S. list, “highlight how they have given a voice to all employees and, in return,” have likely been “rewarded with increased productivity and performance.”
How did the companies make the list? More than 450,000 employees were surveyed at businesses ranging in size from 50 employees to well north of 5,000; some 410 companies were accepted to apply for certification as a “Most Loved Workplace” and nearly 300 made the cut. The top 100 among them were chosen based on several factors that BPI’S research has revealed are most important to employee sentiment and satisfaction, with best practices culled from the employee surveys, interviews with hundreds of company officials and public company rating sites. The criteria included: Is collaboration and teamwork important? Are there opportunities for advancement? Does the company promote understanding and respect within their culture? Are worker values aligned with their company?
The Top 100
As in the U.S., flexible work arrangements seem to be entrenched at the companies on the U.K. Most Loved list. Also as with the U.S. list, career development was crucially important to employees at our U.K. companies.
Virgin Atlantic, this year’s top company, for example, has a special program called “Springboard,” which was created for women who are struggling with work-life balance—an issue whose critical importance was laid bare during the pandemic—and who want to thrive in the corporate world. It was designed to also help Virgin reach a 50/50 gender mix “within our leader population.” Pharma company Perkinelmer (No. 8) has a “Mycareerjourney” portal that lets employees see new jobs at the firm. They’re also matched with the resources needed to develop skills for those jobs.
BPI’S Carter says that the alignment of employee and company values was crucial as well. “The most mentioned significant words by the companies (in our surveys) were ‘value’ and ‘culture’ with 45 percent of the companies making mention of at least one of those words,” he says. “The companies begin the execution of their culture and value-based systems during the recruitment process.”
For instance, applicants at Sensat (No. 29), a software firm, have to go through a “values” interview. Financial services firm Wills & Trusts Wealth Management Group (No. 42) requires new hires to
participate in a four-day culture workshop.
Will these good feelings last when we survey those companies again next year?
Not at all clear. Some three years after COVID-19 hit, the workplace is an unpredictable place. Britain is dealing with economic and political woes and who knows what the winter will bring with continued high inflation and fuel shortages looming? A worldwide economic downturn might change the rules of engagement with employers.
We’d argue, though, that it is more important than ever that companies are willing to change with the times and actively work to meet the evolving needs of the people who work for them. The best employers recognize that and act accordingly, no matter what economic times they’re in.
We can’t predict the future. But we do know that there are lessons to be derived from our Top 100. If you’re an employee looking to find a firm more aligned with your values, this list can help. If you’re an executive trying to make your firm a better place for your employees to thrive, taking note of the practices of the Top 100 is a good place to start.
That’s true no matter who is running the U.K.
▸ Most Loved Workplaces® is a registered trademark of the Best Practice Institute, Inc., of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
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https://sff.thoth.art/days/day1
Pick the area you think is good.
Hit Rightmove/Zoopla every single day searching for any property listed in the last 24 hours. It takes 10 minutes each evening. Do endless amounts of research and looking around. You'll soon develop a feel what is a good price/deal. Go and view a lot of places. Ride your bike or walk around the neighborhood.
Try to buy like a fourth or fifth time buyer not a first time one. Two people looking at the same property First time buyer "oooh this is cheap for a two bed flat" Fourth time buyer "hmmm this is top floor on a busy road, how will I unload anything/get trades to fix stuff? All the windows are north facing, the bedrooms are too small for a standard double bed and a wardrobe or furniture, the building looks in poor repair - who is responsible. Let's come back and look at this property or area in the night, in the morning, on a weekend on a Saturday night etc. Are the neighbours owner occupiers or tenants. How long can I realistically live here before I have to move (kids, family, let's etc)".
Ask the agent what they think it is worth, where people are buying, what they look for. Don't discuss the price in the house with anyone. Plenty of places have cameras/ring door bells etc and the buyer will know what you can offer.
Get pre approved for a mortgage and find a good solicitor. When you come to offer you'll be ahead of the competition.
Find out why they seller is selling - probate, divorce, insolvency, do they need to move quickly.
Buy with your head and not your heart. Look at it like a business deal
Also don't be afraid of renting. Most people are negative about it but it can be a key to great wealth if you have the discipline to save your money elsewhere. Far better to rent and have access to your riches, than be rich but all of your wealth is in your house which you can't access
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Pros And Cons of Buying A New Build Property If you are looking to move house then you might have thought about buying a newly built home direct from the developers. But, what are the pros and cons of buying a new build property?
Here are what we consider to be the main advantages and disadvantages of buying new builds:
Advantages Of New Build Properties
No Chain
One of the biggest advantages of buying a new build is the fact you won’t be buying into a chain. That means, as soon as your finances are in place, you can look to complete the purchase.
It also removes the risk of being gazumped and can help make the whole house move less stressful. However, be aware that once you have agreed to buy a new build, the developers will often set a deadline for when you need to complete by. This can add pressure if you need to sell your own property to fund the move.
Low Maintenance
New build properties are built to the latest regulations and specifications, meaning that it’s unlikely you’ll need to worry about repairs for a while. They also come with a 10-year NHBC warranty to cover structural defects.
Add to this the fact many home builders offer their own warranties too, and you’ll definitely gain some peace of mind when buying a new build.
Influence The Final Finish
If your chosen new build is still being built, it may be possible to influence the exact finish inside the property. This could be things like your choice of flooring, tile colour, or even minor alterations to layout.
Whatever it is, it gives you the chance to make the property ‘yours’ and reduce the need to change anything once you move in.
Government Incentives
Help To Buy Scheme Depending on your eligibility, it may be possible to benefit from government incentives such as Help To Buy when buying new a build property. Many such incentives are only available on new builds.
Talk to the developer as they’ll know what current incentives might save you the most money.
More Energy Efficient
As new build properties are built to the latest specifications and building standards, they are often more energy efficient than older properties.
In a country where energy costs seem to be ever-increasing, this can lead to significant savings on your energy bills over the coming years.
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Everything Is Brand New
Many people love the fact that no-one else has lived in a new build property before them. That means everything is brand new and should be spotlessly clean.
Disadvantages Of New Build Properties
Harder To Get A Mortgage
Because new builds are often sold at a premium price, lenders are often stricter with the maximum loan to value (LTV) they will lend for a new build property.
This means you may need to have a larger deposit to be able to get a favourable mortgage rate than you would if you were buying a similarly valued older home.
In addition to this, developers will often only give you 28 days to complete a purchase after you have put down your deposit. This can be a tough deadline for some mortgage lenders to meet.
Property May Not Be Built Yet
Depending on which stage of the build process the developers are at, the house you buy may not actually be built yet. That means you’ll be relying on show homes and imagination to understand exactly how your house will look when completed.
This also means there a risk the property won’t be quite what you hoped it would be when you finally get the keys. Plus, if you are in a chain you may need to consider moving into rented accommodation while you wait for your new build home to be finished.
Questionable Build Quality
Although new build properties are built to the latest specifications and regulations, there is a tendency nowadays for firms to use cheaper materials in order to increase their profit margins.
This is why you’ll often find new builds contain a high proportion of stud walls. These offer poorer sound insulation and can be tricky to affix heavier objects to, such as mirrors and bathroom fixings.
Smaller Rooms And Gardens
New Builds Have Smaller Rooms Because developers need to maximise the number of properties they build on a site in order to increase their profit margins, new build properties tend to have smaller rooms and gardens.
So, even a 4 bedroom new build house may not be much different in size than an older 3 bedroom house.
Possibility Of Disruption
If the development upon which your purchased new build property sits is not completed when you move in, be prepared for a period of disruption.
Noise, vibrations, road closures, and excessive mud and dirt are all common on housing developments where work is still ongoing.
Of course, any disruption will only last until the development is completed but it’s worth finding out the timescales the developers are working to so you know what you are letting yourself in for!
Less For Your Money
We mentioned it earlier but it really is true that most developers price new build properties at a premium. You are paying for the fact that everything should be in perfect condition and under warranty. You are paying for the fact no one has lived there before you.
If you want the best value for money, an older property will give you more property for your cash.
Pros And Cons Of Buying A New Build Property – Summary
So, as you can see, there are a number of pros and cons of buying a new build property. If you want something which doesn’t need anything doing to it for a few years, has never been lived in before, and is built to modern standards, a new build property may be right for you.
However, if you want to maximise what your money will buy, enjoy larger rooms and gardens, and avoid the excessive plasterboard walls common in new builds, stick with an older-style property.
Whichever type of property you decide to buy, make sure you check out our guide on how to choose a removal company before the big day arrives.
BRITAIN’S mortgage lending is headed for its biggest plunge in more than a decade next year after a surge in interest rates and cost-ofliving squeeze brings household budgets to a breaking point.
Total loans for house purchases may total just £11bil (Rm60bil) next year, a fraction of the £63bil (Rm344bil) expected for 2022, according to a report from the consultant EY.
That would mark 0.7% growth in lending, the lowest since 2011 and down from a healthy 4% increase expected this year.
The report is the latest warning sign flashing for Britain’s housing market, which kept growing through the pandemic even as the economy tipped into recession.
With another downturn underway, lenders and estate agents have for months predicted that the property market is likely to slow if not plunge in the months ahead.
Borrowing costs are soaring along with expectations that the Bank of England will keep raising interest rates in response to the highest inflation in 40 years.
Investors are betting on the biggest increase in 33 years when policy makers meet again next week, taking the base rate to 3% from near zero at the end of last year.
“While interest rates are still fairly low by historical standards, they are the highest they’ve been in a decade and are set to rise further,” says Anna Anthony, UK financial services managing partner at EY.
“This will put further pressure on alreadystrained finances and will have a knock-on effect on demand for most forms of bank lending.”
The cost of key UK mortgages remains close to a peak last seen in the 2008 financial crisis, which is reducing the number of people who can afford to buy property.
It’s also raising the costs for borrowers who need to refinance loans, which in the UK market typically happens at least every five years.
The average two-year fixed-rate home loan fell slightly to 6.49% on Thursday, the first time it has dropped below 6.5% for ten days.
That’s as the average five-year fixed-rate deal also dipped to 6.35%, although it remains close to a 14-year high, according to Moneyfacts Group Plc.
Analysts at Credit Suisse say that house prices “could easily fall 10% to 15%,” and others including Niraj Shah of Bloomberg Economics predict double-digit declines. Analysts at HSBC have predicted falls of 7.5% nationally and 15% in London.
That will reverse some of the gains made since the start of the pandemic, a period that has seen house prices soar 23%.
The factors that boosted the market then – a strong labour market and shortages of homes for sale – may continue to provide some support, the mortgage lender Halifax said on Oct 7.
The political turmoil that culminated with Prime Minister Liz Truss handing power to Rishi Sunak also is weighing on the market.
In recent weeks, Truss’s plans for unfunded tax cuts spooked investors, pushing up interest rates in financial markets.
While those rates have come down sharply with a U-turn on the budget measures, mortgage rates have yet to return to the levels prevailing in the summer.
For now, the housing market remains healthy, with asking prices for properties coming to market rising in September at the strongest pace in months, according to real estate search website Rightmove.
But its report also showed buyer demand has fallen 15% in the first two weeks of October. — Bloomberg
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Spooking the marketThe Scotsman
There are certain aspects of a property which you have a legal obligation to disclose when selling.
Not mentioning the nuisance neighbours, a dodgy loft conversion or planning permission for an imminent build nearby could land you in court under the Property Misdirections Act.
However, in this week leading up to Halloween, what if the nondisclosure involved a slightly darker subject matter?
A survey conducted in 2016 suggested that a third of UK buyers would be dissuaded from making an offer on a property if they found out that someone had died in the house.
But given the advanced age of the housing stock in this country, I’d say most places must have been the scene of a demise or two.
Aside from learning that a really grisly murder occurred in your chosen dream home – which might indeed be off-putting – I don’t see the problem.
However, there are a couple of houses in my area which could be considered spooky because of the fate of previous owners. Both of these dwellings might make superstitious buyers pause.
One, in the village, has been abandoned for decades. Tucked behind a wall of overgrown trees and shrubs, you can just see the roof of the once-fine Victorian villa set back from the road. Older residents explain that it belonged to a local family, the last of whom died abroad in the 1970s.
Presumably there have been disputes about the will, or just a disinterest from distant heirs, because the house has remained empty ever since.
A couple of years ago it was the subject of a Youtube video, made by an American couple of selfapponted “ghost hunters” who broke in and filmed the interior.
The upsettingly voyeuristic footage showed a collapsed staircase and water damage, but most of the rooms are surprisingly intact – albeit covered in bird droppings and dust.
Hauntingly, there remains music sheets on the piano and a chess set laid out mid-game on a table.
Another cottage, at the head of a loch and only reachable by a lonely six-mile single track road, was owned by friends of my parents.
Parts of it date from the 1600s and over dinner one night, the owners confessed to my mum and dad that, while renovating the property, they had dug up the kitchen floor and found what they thought might have been human bones – very ancient, but chilling all the same.
Fearing that if they informed the authorities their renovation would be halted by archeological investigations, they kept schtum, covered the bones back up in earth and laid their new floor on top.
The house was sold on about 20 years ago, and while most of us in the know about the story remained diplomatically silent, someone eventually informed the new owner.
Her reaction, fortunately, was one of delight. She understands that it is unlikely to be anything more sinister than a former resident who wanted to remain in the home they had loved. To her, a body under the floorboards – tall tale or not – adds to the charm of the house.
But she just might not disclose that unique feature in the brochure when it comes time to sell.
“A third of UK buyers would be dissuaded from making an offer on a property if they found out that someone had died in the house”
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Employees returning to the office have fuelled the growth of house prices in British cities but left rural areas trailing behind, research from UK bank Halifax published on Monday suggests.
Since the start of the year, city property prices have typically grown by 9.2 per cent, compared with 7.9 per cent in surrounding areas, Halifax said.
Andrew Asaam, mortgages director at Halifax, said the trend of people looking for greener spaces to move to, which developed early in the coronavirus pandemic, had remained.
“That trend didn’t disappear completely this year, as house price growth in these areas remained strong,” he said.
“But as daily life started to get back to normal for many, the opportunity to live in cities became more attractive again, driving up demand. There’s evidence of this in locations across the country, with property price inflation in the majority of cities outstripping increases in their surrounding areas.
“Clearly the economic environment has changed considerably in the last few months, with the likelihood of more significant downward pressure on house prices, as the cost-of-living squeeze and higher borrowing costs limit demand. The extent to which such trends will continue to shape the housing market is therefore uncertain.”
But some places have bucked the trend. In areas surrounding Birmingham, house prices have risen faster in percentage terms than in the city. This is reflected in places such as Walsall, where property price inflation has risen 16.4 per cent so far this year, Halifax said.
And in the North-east of England, Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough have recorded weaker house price growth this year so far than their surrounding areas.
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We face peril because the UK economy relies on house prices. Here are three ways to fix thatFran Boait Fran Boait is executive director of campaign group Positive Money
The Guardian Australia
House prices are predicted to drop next year due to a mixture of financial instability caused by the misjudged mini-budget and the Bank of England accelerating interest rate hikes. This will be disastrous for many households struggling to afford increased mortgage repayments.
At the same time there are many struggling to buy their first home. In 2021, UK house prices grew at their fastest pace in over a decade, despite the economy still recovering from one of the worst contractions in 300 years. This disconnect between the housing market and the rest of the economy only benefits those who use housing as an asset for accumulating wealth.
The gains of this wealth are unevenly distributed across society. The average white family gained £115,000 in property wealth in the past decade, while the average Black household accumulated nothing, and almost half of housing wealth in the UK is owned by the over-65s. Many people are struggling to put together the large deposits required, and those in the rented sector or social housing face higher housing costs relative to those with mortgages, and greater insecurity of tenancy.
The dominant narrative has been that prices reached all-time highs this year due to shortage of supply, but as many economists have argued since the crash, it is bank lending, rather than supply of housing, that is a primary driver of house price rises. And high land prices result in even less social housing being built.
Lending into real estate generates a self-sustaining cycle of credit supply, credit demand and rapid house prices increases. And when fewer people can afford to repay their mortgages, lending dries up, confidence drops and the cycle works in the opposite direction, making prices suddenly drop.
Overnight people can find themselves in negative equity and be forced from their homes, and banks and real estate investors cash in. While this dynamic was understood in great detail after the last crash, memories are short, and the post-crash powers to reduce financial instability from the housing market have done little to dampen the inflationary effect of mortgage lending, or reduce the attractiveness of homes as financial assets. Government policies, from the stamp duty holidays to the resurrection of “right to buy”, have only exacerbated this problem. This destructive pattern of boom and bust needs to come to an end.
As we’re seeing with the departure of Liz Truss, governments in the UK have been made and broken on the back of mortgage rate rises, and with mortgage repayments already climbing and likely to soar, regardless of how big the housing downturn is, it is highly likely that the public will boot the Conservatives out of office at the first opportunity. Stabilising house prices is always going to be a difficult political sell, with 65% of England’s households being homeowners, or more accurately large debt/mortgage owners, and their family wealth inextricably tied to house prices.
Even Labour doesn’t want to change course, by targeting 70% home ownership through mortgage guarantees. However, public opinion may have reached a tipping point: in March, when prices grew at their fastest pace since 2004, more than half of British homeowners said they would be happy if their own home did not rise in value in the next 10 years if it meant houses were more affordable for those who didn’t own property.
The economic turmoil right now is revealing how fundamentally fragile the UK economy is. Escaping our structural dependence on house price rises driven by an oversized financial sector won’t be easy. However, there are some important places to start. We need to prioritise policies that protect renters and social housing, rather than treating them as an afterthought. This will entail vastly scaling up social housing, and implementing rent controls and renter protections to ensure high quality homes, with long-term security.
Banks also need to be reined in. Having a concentrated banking sector with 50% of its assets secured against UK property is not a healthy position to be in. We need a diverse ecosystem of banks lending into more productive and socially useful activities. Fairer taxation on property and land would dampen speculation and also unlock much needed funds for social housing.
Finally, we need our regulators to take seriously the task of stabilising house prices, ideally adding it as a secondary objective to the Bank of England’s policymaking committees.
The dysfunctional nature of our housing market can’t be fixed quickly or overnight, it’s intimately connected to our politics and culture. But since the last crash we’ve had more than a decade of missed opportunities when it comes to housing affordability, and it’s time for change.
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Ampel計劃為中國交易設置更高的障礙Der Tagesspiegel 2022 年 10 月 31 日
柏林、慕尼黑、杜塞爾多夫——儘管德國公司在中國的投資計劃遭到嚴厲批評，西門子仍希望繼續擴大其在中國的業務。確實，暫時不完全搬遷任何子區域。但最重要的是，“數字產業”領域是工業軟件和工廠自動化最重要和最敏感的領域，將更加貼近中國。據Handelsblatt企業界消息，CEO Roland Busch專門為該項目設立了一個項目。這涉及在中國的大規模投資以及在那裡開發新功能。
該項目被稱為“馬可波羅”，以700年前遊歷中國並定居的威尼斯探險家命名。布希和他一樣熱情，但還沒有看到西門子與中國競爭者處於平等地位。 “迄今為止計劃的措施不足以擊敗當地冠軍，”該集團的管理層在與高層管理人員舉行的戰略會議上解釋道。 “贏得比賽”需要“進一步授權”。
自從中國公開威脅要入侵台灣以來，德國公司的投資計劃就一直受到密切關注。近日，已斥資 100 億歐元在湛江新建工廠的化工公司巴斯夫發現了這一消息。
根據德國商報的信息，布希最初推遲了馬可波羅計劃的部分內容，例如可能的分區完全搬遷和進一步開設總部。但也許不會持續太久，正如一位內部人士所說：“中國知道這些計劃，並希望看到它們得到實施。”
布希原則上堅持投資計劃。他希望到 2025 年，中國“數字產業”部門的銷售額比 2020 年翻一番。當被問及時，一位發言人表示，中國的能力建設遵循“多元化戰略”，旨在減少“全球本地化”意義上的地區之間的依賴，包括供應鏈方面的依賴。其他主要地區也正在實施類似的地區能力建設計劃。
全球本地化描述了全球化和本地化之間的中間地帶，即公司在全球範圍內開展業務，同時加強其在該地區的影響力。西門子在亞洲的根基可以追溯到早期。 “我們可能很快就會與中國合作，”維爾納·馮·西門子在 1879 年寫給他的兄弟卡爾。 “當地使者向中國報告，結果向秦國報告。管理層表示希望從我們這裡購買交流發電機。”
國家之間的紐帶經歷了自那以後困擾世界的所有動盪。聯邦政府從來都不是沒有問題的，正如前首席執行官海因里希·馮·皮耶爾在他的《可行的藝術》一書中所描述的那樣：“中國的一個特別煩惱是強制技術轉讓。”即便如此，專家們觀察到北京想要獨立，它在全球經濟日益增長的需求中佔有一席之地。
“一個人如何為自己辯護呢？”von Pierer 問自己，回答自己：“例如，不將關鍵部件的技術轉移到中國，每個項目都有這樣的技術，即生產這些用於功能整個系統的必要組成部分在他們自己的國家。”
Heinrich von Pierer 會如何評價 Roland Busch 今天的計劃？現任西門子老闆正在全力推進中國。
今年 3 月的一次會議顯示了布希的嚴肅性。正如與會者記得的那樣，當他的經理們提出將發動機生產部分轉移到中國並歸入“數字工業”部門時，布希仍然不夠。 “半身孕”就是這樣，有de r CEO 說。據參與者稱，他希望這 8,000 個工作崗位能夠完全搬遷。
為此，布希開發了“馬可波羅”項目。從本質上講，應該加強中國重要的“數字產業”部門的生產，尤其是研究和管理。當時，除了在德國之外，還計劃在中華人民共和國建設第二個總部。
西門子應要求表示，他們“沒有任何計劃在中國建立第二個數字工業總部”。然而，該集團還表示，它希望根據中國的要求為中國開發更多本地化產品——“這是在競爭激烈的中國市場中不可或缺的成功因素”。
在馬可波羅項目中，有一個名副其實的“中國總體規劃”。對於數字產業，中國的目標是增長 15%。他們說，這“遠高於西門子 6% 到 9% 的歷史增長率”。到 2025 年，數字產業的營業額將翻一番。西門子並未報告該部門目前在中國的銷售額。然而，在工業界，估計遠遠超過 20 億歐元。
這種增長是有代價的。在馬可波羅項目中，經理們自己解決了範式轉變。中華人民共和國的座右銘曾經是“中國製造”，但現在適用“中國創造”的要求。換句話說，共產黨希望中國製造的產品在中國構思和開發。根據西方觀察家的說法，目標是大規模和永久地轉讓技術和專有技術。
如果始終如一地實施，德國將只能從中國獲得其社會運作所需的高科技產品和服務。數月來，政客、經濟學家和特勤局一直在警告這種情況。
外交部長安娜萊娜·貝爾博克（綠黨）最近表示，德國“不應讓自己依賴任何與我們價值觀不同的國家”。例如，貝爾博克引用了前聯邦政府的俄羅斯政策。弗拉基米爾·普京總統在烏克蘭發動的侵略戰爭以及由此導致的從俄羅斯到德國的天然氣供應中斷引發了嚴重的能源危機。
德國與中國也面臨著類似的困境。 “德國經濟對中國的依賴程度遠高於相反，而且到 2021 年，對中國的依賴程度幾乎穩步上升，”科隆德國經濟研究所的一項研究稱。 “中國的銷售市場和那裡的短期利潤似乎太有吸引力了。”
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2022 年 10 月 31 日
週五，希臘幾乎所有地方的工作都暫停了。那是國慶節。但是比雷埃夫斯港很忙。三個碼頭停靠著十艘集裝箱船，還有兩輛載有數千輛汽車的大型汽車運輸車。在裝卸貨物的同時，薩羅尼克灣的下兩艘集裝箱船已經駛向港口“中遠渤海”和“中遠木星”。
兩艘船都懸掛香港國旗。但比雷埃夫斯是他們的第二母港。因為中國遠洋運輸公司，簡稱中遠，控制運營公司比雷埃夫斯港務局（PPA），管理港口。
在中遠集團接受聯邦政府條件的情況下，漢堡的未來在希臘最大的港口早已成為現實。與週三聯邦內閣批准的24.9%的少數股權不同，中遠集團甚至持有比雷埃夫斯三分之二的股份。
週四，希臘總理基里亞科斯·米佐塔基斯在與總理奧拉夫·舒爾茨舉行的聯合新聞發布會上接見了一名德國記者。米佐塔基斯說：“如果你問我是否特別擔心這項投資，我會坦率地告訴你，不，我並不特別擔心。今天的港口肯定比過去好得多。”
在政治上，中國人在比雷埃夫斯的存在不再是一個有爭議的問題。但即使在中遠收購六年後，摩擦仍然存在。
中國老闆似乎對環保規定不太滿意。工會批評職業安全方面的失誤。也缺乏與當地政客和當地經濟的對話。中國人還沒有真正到達比雷埃夫斯。
希臘、歐盟和中國的國旗在比雷埃夫斯郵輪碼頭的 PPA 總部和諧地敬禮。入口前是公元前五世紀海神波塞冬銅像的複製品。這座雕像讓人想起港口千年的傳統。
早在古代，希臘人在地中海的廣泛分支的貿易路線就在這裡匯聚。指揮官 Themistocles 將他強大的艦隊駐紮在比雷埃夫斯。他在薩拉米斯海戰中戰胜波斯人被認為是歐洲文明史上的一個轉折點。
中國對港口的收購可能預示著類似的動盪。因為中遠的進入是中國領導層全球性的、影響深遠的計劃的一部分。
比雷埃夫斯是歐洲第一個來自遠東的貨輪通過蘇伊士運河後停靠的主要港口。作為一個天然的深水港，比雷埃夫斯即使是最大的集裝箱船，也能容得下海潮。在這裡，這些箱子從來自亞洲的貨輪重新裝載到較小的支線船上。他們將集裝箱運送到其他歐洲地中海國家、北非和黑海的目的地。
新絲綢之路的另一個分支是從希臘經巴爾幹半島的鐵路連接，每天有幾列集裝箱火車從比雷埃夫斯開往布達佩斯，再到奧地利。
地理位置使比雷埃夫斯成為“一帶一路”項目——新絲綢之路的理想樞紐。有了它，中國不僅想征服歐洲的更多市場，還想鞏固其作為新世界大國的角色。
2019年11月，中國國家主席習近平訪問希臘。參觀雅典衛城博物館已提上日程，但國家元首參觀“他的”港口花費的時間比古代要多。
習近平稱比雷埃夫斯是“一帶一路”倡議的“最大項目”。中國國家主席說，港口是“歐洲巨龍之首”。在希臘報紙 Kathimerini 的一篇專欄文章中，習近平稱中國和希臘是“天然的伙伴”。
兩國人民都可以“從他們古老文明的深刻智慧中汲取教訓”。米佐塔基斯總理談到了對他的國家的“信任投票”。訪問期間，兩國政府共同簽署了16項“加强两國戰略夥伴關係”協議。
2019 年的淨利潤為 3540 萬歐元，是 PPA 迄今為止最好的財政年度。在比雷埃夫斯的投資不僅給中國帶來了經濟回報。他們還應該產生政治利益。至少在過去，這種計算似乎奏效了。
2017年，時任希臘總理亞歷克西斯·齊普拉斯阻止歐盟國家在聯合國人權理事會的聯合聲明