Translate This News In |
---|
Germany’s new China strategy has irritated Chinese leaders because Berlin is now attempting to diversify its economic ties away from China and toward ‘democracies and partners with shared values,’ as stated in the German Indo-Pacific guidelines. While Germany has been looking for a new trade partner, China has warned that if Germany politicizes trade issues, it will jeopardize economic ties with China, according to The HK Post.
The shift in Berlin’s connection with Beijing became apparent after Olaf Scholz was appointed as Germany’s new Chancellor last year. The German government appears to have changed its stance toward China soon after he took office.
According to The HK Post, China’s obfuscation of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, its zero-Covid strategy, and alleged persecution of the Uygur people in Xinjiang were compelling factors for Berlin to reconsider its China policy.
In terms of China, it is claimed that if Germany participates in this anti-China political farce, only China trade and economic and trade cooperation will suffer.
Germany and China have been export markets since the latter’s economy began to open up in the late 1970s. Berlin has always accompanied the mantra “change through trade,” which applied to Russia as well.
Foreign policy experts blame China for trying to force Germany to change its stance.
According to them, China has been attempting to use Germany’s economic dependence to keep Germany out of any US alliances against China.
According to The HK Post, China has been exploiting the dependence of the largest German automobile manufacturers on the Chinese market to achieve beneficial economic and political outcomes.
One example is Huawei’s entry into the German market. The Chinese ambassador to Berlin, Wu Ken, suggested in December 2019 that if Huawei is barred from the German market, Chinese authorities may target German automakers.
Furthermore, China has been attempting to scare Germany away from military involvement in the Indo-Pacific. Furthermore, when it comes to international relations, China has always adhered to its holy grail of sovereign rights and national sovereignty.
According to some German experts, Germany was entering a new phase in which China was viewed less as a partner and more as a strategic competitor and rival. Germany was also concerned about China’s unprecedented rise in power, as well as the threat China’s international strategy poses to the established liberal international order, according to The HK Post.
According to former Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Norbert Rottgen, the two countries are at probability over Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the South China Sea.
Since the mid-2010s, the two countries have grown increasingly apart. Germany has been extremely hesitant to engage in economic ties with China.
Germany had become the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s fourth-largest shareholder, but had resisted joining the Belt and Road Initiative due to concerns about transparency, a level playing ground for business and European labour, and environmental and social standards.