Bundestag discusses guidelines
How should Germany deal with China?
September 28, 2023, 7:19 p.m
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In the federal government’s China strategy, the world’s second largest economy is classified as a “partner, competitor and systemic rival” at the same time. The concept, which comes from the Federal Foreign Office, is intended to be a compass in dealing with China. Germany must carefully balance its economic interests with political values. The Bundestag will debate the document on Thursday. Here are the answers to the most important questions.
Why is China so important?
In 1972, the Federal Republic and the People’s Republic established diplomatic relations. Since then, extremely dense and diverse contacts have developed. With a trade volume of almost 300 billion euros, China was again Germany’s largest goods trading partner in 2022.
The Federal Government attaches great importance to China when dealing with global crises – for example in climate change, in combating pandemics and in relations with Russia. China, for its part, sees Germany as a key partner in Europe, not only economically but also politically.
What problems are there in dealing with China?
For Germany and the EU, China is at the same time a partner, competitor and systemic rival – with the roles of competitor and rival becoming increasingly important. The China strategy lists a whole series of problems – for example, that China is increasingly aggressively defending its claim to world power in foreign policy; that it seeks to influence the international order along the lines of its one-party system; that in terms of trade policy it makes it more difficult for foreign companies to access the Chinese market; and that it acts repressively towards its own population.
Why does Germany need a China strategy?
The strategy developed has no legal force, but it is intended to serve as a guide for the future structure of relations with Beijing, be it in trade relations or in politics. “It is intended to enable the federal government to better realize our values and interests in the complex relationship with China,” the document says. For example, the China contacts of the individual federal ministries, which almost all have their own relations with the People’s Republic, should be better coordinated.
What is at the heart of the strategy?
A key term is “de-risking”, that is, the effort to reduce one-sided economic dependencies on China and thus reduce the risk for Germany. The current situation is such that “China’s dependencies on Europe are steadily decreasing, while Germany’s dependencies on China have become more important in recent years,” the paper says. The federal government is interested in reducing asymmetries, but not in decoupling the two economies.
What role do human rights play?
The China strategy clearly identifies a number of human rights criticisms: It mentions, among other things, the “serious human rights violations, among others, against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, the situation in Tibet, the situation in Hong Kong”. Germany will continue to “commit to respecting human rights,” the document says.
What do critics say?
The People’s Republic usually reacts sensitively to any criticism from abroad – and made no exception with the China strategy. This is “counterproductive” and contributes to division in the world, said the Foreign Ministry in China.
The warning from Beijing is also echoed in German domestic politics: in the debate in the Bundestag, the Left Party and the AfD in particular took up this argument and warned the federal government against creating conflicts with Beijing through critical distancing. The traffic light groups and the Union, on the other hand, found words of approval for the strategy.