[m000]

> The way you phrased it made it sound as if Germany (as in the government) was somehow trying to profit from it. However, they are the ones being frauded.

As made evident by the english name of these initiatives (Upstream Emission Reduction - UER), this originates from the EU. It seems that UER is one of the options to achieve greenhouse gases reduction goals set by EU (see [1]). So, allowing your local industries to cheat on UER reporting, does bring in an (unfair) advantage to Germany.

[1] https://climate.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2016-11/guidance_n...

[ffsm8]

right, because companies stealing from the german government is clearly giving giving the nation a competitive advantage.

Totally true, anything else insight worthy from your side?

The German government was defrauded by German companies collaborating with Chinese companies.

Calling that a competitive advantage is like saying German companies have a competitive advantage because some have been stealing billions of taxes over the last few years via CumEx.

It'd also be the same as saying that India's medicine factories have a competitive advantage because they're able to illegally dumb toxic waste in rural areas, which is currently the world's biggest breeding ground for super bacteria (resistant to antibiotics)

The article doesn't blame China, it's just plainly stating that the currently undertaken initiatives in China are almost all fraudulent. That doesn't mean that Chinese government is stealing from Germany.

[m000]

> right, because companies stealing from the german government is clearly giving giving the nation a competitive advantage.

It obviously is. We are talking about intra-EU advantage, where the same GHG rules apply. If e.g. French industries actually invest in reducing their GHGs instead of using a fraud scheme, isn't that an advantage?

> Calling that a competitive advantage is like saying German companies have a competitive advantage because some have been stealing billions of taxes over the last few years via CumEx.

Also a competitive advantage. If, let's say now, Spain does more rigorous checks for tax fraud than Germany, then their industry growth is comparatively stifled. And did the participating industries get anything more than a slap in the wrist?

German stakeholders pointing each other, and then everybody pointing outside of Germany may work internally, but is not fooling anyone else on the outside. Germany is totally ok to turn a blind eye on eschewing (supposedly) common EU rules when it is to the advantage of their economy.

> Totally true, anything else insight worthy from your side?

Nein mein herr. Das ist alles mein herr. /s

[ffsm8]

> And did the participating industries get anything more than a slap in the wrist?

No, they didn't even get that. After all, our Kanzler forgot about it.

I still wouldn't call this a competitive advantage. The only companies that gain this advantage do so through fraud. And Germany has a gigantic problem with corrupt politicians that help fraudulent companies profit.

It's objectively terrible for Germany, and not a competitive advantage. The companies using these schemes do not pay taxes for the most part, so calling that great for the economy is such a gigantic stretch that it's hilarious.

It's great for the politicians though. After all, they always get paid to make the scandals go away.

> Nein mein herr. Das ist alles mein herr. /s

That's fair, I was definitely too aggressive with that statement. Sorry for that.

It just triggers me a little when people blame the nation for the actions of individuals, almost always entirely unassociated with said government. (Wherever that's India, China, the USA or Germany)

After all, what you're calling a competitive advantage is fraud! The issue is that German politicians are just so hopelessly corrupt that no prosecution ever happens. That's the issue we have to address. After all, most companies in Germany are law abiding and do not have a competitive advantage.