Fears that fraudulent biodiesel from China is flooding into the EU is exposing broader problems with the biofuel industry.
Illustration by Sam Ward
At first, Deyan Stankov thought the fraud was so blatant that no one would believe it.
From his office in Ruse, a small Bulgarian city on the bank of the Danube River, Stankov was tracking biodiesel exports from China to Europe as they surged to unprecedented levels. It started in the fall of 2022, and by January, monthly exports hit a peak of over 250,000 metric tons, a level never seen before and nearly double the trade just a year before, according to data from London-based Quantum C
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
Can a central bank digital currency work? China was the first major economy to launch one and, despite several setbacks, is starting to see the digital yuan take off.
The journalist-turned-lawmaker talks about her book on four women coming of age in modern China, the end of optimism for the younger generations, and being the first Chinese-born British MP.
September 17th: Strategies for Identifying Military End Users
