Ahead of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s planned visit to China on November 4, the German business community continues to voice support for closer economic ties with China, despite calls for the German government to show a stance. firmer towards China on matters concerning values, in particular human rights.
There are mixed reactions in Germany to Mr Scholz’s visit, which observers have attributed to differences between business and politicians, as well as differences within the coalition government.
One of the latest voices supporting Mr. Scholz’s visit came from Martin Wansleben, managing director of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Mr Wansleben said it was “right to make this visit, because Germany, Europe and the world depend on China in many ways, as well as to solve emerging problems, including climate change and food safety “.
“Without China, we can never really solve these problems,” he was quoted by German national public radio on Sunday.
The German government spokesman told a briefing on Friday that Berlin’s view of Beijing had changed, but that Germany was opposed to a “decoupling” with the Chinese economy and wanted Beijing demonstrate reciprocity in trade relations.
Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times that the business world remains a strong pillar for pushing forward China-Germany cooperation, due to the significant and stable advantages of such cooperation.
China has been Germany’s largest trading partner for the past six years, with two-way trade exceeding 245 billion euros ($243 billion) in 2021. According to various media reports, chief executives of automaker Volkswagen and chemical giant BASF will be part of the German delegation to China.
The visit is widely recognized as an opportunity for face-to-face communication, which is crucial for the two countries to exchange views, manage differences and cement common ground, Cui said.
This is Scholz’s first visit to China since taking office in 2021, as well as the first visit by a G7 and European Union (EU) leader since the COVID-19 pandemic. .
“However, the momentum of cooperation is increasingly disrupted by politicians who advocate less ‘economic dependence’ on China and view economic cooperation from a political and security perspective,” said Mr. Cui.
Sino-German relations have shifted from “putting aside differences and finding common ground” to a new pattern of shared economic interests amid growing political divisions, Zhao Junjie, a researcher at the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
“The mixed messages reflect the thorny situation Mr. Scholz faces – he must secure German interests and represent his social democratic party while conveying German ‘values’, as demanded by the other parties in the coalition government,” said Mr. Zhao.
“Liberal Democrats are inclined to see China’s development as a threat to local small businesses, while the Greens are inexperienced and lack long-term strategic vision in handling diplomacy, and therefore speak louder of ‘values’,” Zhao said.
An example of these divergences is the Port of Hamburg agreement. Germany’s Foreign Ministry drafted a memo on the cabinet meeting that documented its rejection of Cosco’s investment, which the Economy Ministry and the four Liberal Democrat-led ministries joined, reports Archyde.com on Wednesday, citing two government sources.
A Greens party MP cited the Russian gas cut in Germany to oppose the port deal.
“Mr. Scholz must carefully navigate through all these different interests to preserve the stability of the coalition government. It also faces growing pressure from other EU member states to take a tougher stance on relations with China amid escalating geopolitical clashes,” Chinese observers said. .
Cui said it was important for both sides to reiterate their consensus, adding that China hopes the Scholz administration will “clarify its judgment” on relations with China and related policies. “How has Germany changed since the Merkel era, and how to maintain bilateral cooperation? asked the expert.
The two sides should promote pragmatic economic and trade cooperation, providing favorable conditions for companies from the other side to invest and operate in their country, as well as converting any consensus reached on cooperation into new ones. areas – including the green and digital economies – into real actions and projects, Mr. Cui continued.
China and Germany still have broad consensus on bilateral relations and global governance, but differences might emerge on issues related to the Ukraine crisis and Germany’s Indo-Pacific orientations. Analysts said the two sides should listen to each other and do their best to expand their common ground and manage their differences.
