(Updated throughout with presentation of the strategy)
BERLIN, June 14 (Reuters) – The government of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday unveiled a national security strategy, a first in the history of the Federal Republic, which identifies Russia as the main threat to Europe and highlights guard against growing rivalry with China.
The document provides an overview of Berlin’s foreign policy, which has decided since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 to prioritize security over economic interests.
“This is a major change that we are operating in Germany in the way we deal with security policy,” Olaf Scholz said when presenting this strategy, arguing for an integrated approach to security rather than purely military point of view.
The plan addresses both threats from climate change and those related to supply chain disruptions.
It also aims to establish a more coherent inter-ministerial approach to security even if the government, which is based on a tripartite coalition SPD-Greens-Liberals, has not yet succeeded in agreeing on the creation of a National Security Council. .
The first National Security Strategy, however, makes specific commitments to military preparedness.
It thus provides that Germany will devote 2% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defence, “on average or over a period of several years”, thus approaching the objective set by NATO for its members.
The country aims to spend 2% of its national wealth on defense from next year, Finance Minister Christian Lindner told a press conference alongside Olaf Scholz and other ministers .
Other measures outlined in the national security strategy include reducing dependence on other countries for raw materials and encouraging companies to hold strategic reserves.
The energy crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine has highlighted Germany’s heavy dependence on Russian gas. The country also maintains close economic relations with China, its largest trading partner.
In its National Security Strategy, Berlin sees Beijing as a growing threat to regional stability and international security.
China is using its economic power to achieve political goals and assert regional hegemony, the document says, illustrating Germany’s tougher stance vis-à-vis Beijing.
A more detailed strategy towards China should be ready soon, Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday. (Report Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Miranda Murray, Rachel More and Madeline Chambers; French version Jean Terzian and Blandine Hénault, edited by Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
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