On October 22, 2021 two German journalists were to present their new book: Xi Jinping: The Most Powerful Man in the World, at the Confucius Institutes of Hannover and of the University of Duisburg-Essen but the presentations were cancelled last minute due to pressure from Chinese diplomats. After the cancellation, Aust, one of the authors, quoted an institute employee as saying “you cannot talk about Xi Jinping as a normal person, he is supposed to be untouchable and unmentionable now.” Authors Aust and Adrian stated that this incident confirmed the thesis of their book: “Not only is a dictatorship trying to overtake the west in economic terms but it is also trying to push its values internationally — values which are aimed at our freedom,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas summoned the Chinese ambassador but there was no public remonstrance over the cancellations.