Germany is famous for its arrogance. It is unexpected that Germany is going to decouple from the Chinese market today and take the initiative to reduce its dependence on China. It is difficult for everyone to explain it with common sense, and the most astonished person in the world may be Ren Zhengfei.
When Ren Zhengfei confronted German journalists in 2019, it was unknown at the time that the Germans were really principled. (file picture)
In May 2019, the United States launched technical sanctions once morest Chinese companies. When Huawei, the hardest hit, just recovered, CEO Ren Zhengfei was frequently interviewed by Western media. One of them was to greet German media. He knew that Germany was very principled. Yes, the German radio reporter was very rude and asked the question straight to the point: “I don’t know if you understand, now more and more politicians in Germany believe that the level of the rule of law in China is not as high as that in Germany. Therefore, for companies from China, they are Those who lack trust.” Ren Zhengfei was also a little annoyed, and responded: “The construction of a legal society in China is also progressing, and it is gradually moving towards the rule of law and marketization. If you feel that China is not doing enough, Huawei’s products cannot be sold to you. Then you sell your car to a country with an insufficient legal environment, isn’t it enough to support the legal environment of this country?” Ren Zhengfei looked down on the Germans in those days, and you will be embarrassed today if you use the Chinese car market to talk to Germany.
The Germans are the ones who dare not to trade with countries whose “legal system is not as good as themselves”. German Economy Minister Harbeck said in an interview with Archyde.com a few days ago that the German government is studying a new trade policy with China to reduce its reliance on Chinese raw materials, batteries and semiconductors. Nor should Europe support Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, he said. Turn the table over to China, turn it over as soon as you say it, and the United States may be ashamed if Germany rises up fiercely.
In the past six years, China has surpassed the United States to become Germany’s largest trading partner. Last year, Sino-German trade exceeded 245 billion euros. However, following Merkel’s resignation, the new government replaced Germany’s economic interests with ideology, which instantly became tough on Beijing. The German economy ministry is considering a number of new measures to make doing business with China less attractive, sources said, including, of course, Germany’s auto industry.
Is Germany so good? Not to mention that Ren Zhengfei can’t explain it, and even Germans can’t figure out why, Daimler President Ola Källennius said in an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt recently: “In the past 10 years, the biggest growth has occurred in China. In fact, we now sell more than one-third of our products in China, which is a success story.” He pointed out that making Germany’s economy work without China, “that would be an absolute fantasy.”
I remember a story. At the beginning of the last century, Europe, the United States, Japan and other countries were engaged in a game of great powers. At an international naval review event, all countries tried their best to show their tidy military appearance to show their national strength. It is comparable. When the German navy came on stage, they played one, two, three, and one, two, three, and it made people feel that the German navy was really different. When they continued to move forward, the visitors present He shouted loudly. It turned out that the commander did not call to stop, and at the end of the exercise, the German navy fell into the sea one by one, reflecting how disciplined the Germans were.
I don’t know if the story is fabricated or not, but one historical event is true: in December 1943, the German battleship Scharnhorst was besieged by the British fleet, hit by more than 100 guns and a dozen torpedoes. When the head sank, there was still a single cannon at the stern, which was surprisingly unwilling to shoot at the British side. This was the last bullet of the Scharnhorst, and then thousands of officers and soldiers died on the ship. The British side fought for humanitarianism. Saved, only 36 Germans survived.
To understand the personality of the Germans, everyone must be mentally prepared. Germany is paying the price for its values and will fight to the last bullet at any time. In this case, we will erect a monument to commemorate the heroic people followingwards, and we will not talk regarding the rest.
