“Partner and not an opponent”: Beijing is angry about Germany’s China strategy

“Partner and not an opponent”
Beijing is upset with Germany’s China strategy

07/13/2023, 8:50 p.m

Germany wants to change the way it deals with investments in China: The new plan of the federal government is less dependence, but no decoupling. The Chinese embassy in Berlin reacted angrily – and accused the traffic light coalition of interfering in domestic politics.

China reacted angrily to the federal government’s new China strategy. According to a first reaction published in Chinese on the website of the Chinese embassy in Germany, China is not the cause of the problems that Germany is facing.

“China is Germany’s partner in overcoming challenges and not an opponent,” it said. It is hoped that the German side will consider China’s development “rationally, comprehensively and objectively”. An ideological view of China exacerbates misunderstandings and damages mutual trust.

After months of discussion, the federal cabinet had decided on a comprehensive China strategy for the first time. It aims to reduce economic dependence on China, but not decouple itself from the world’s second largest economy. In the 61-page paper, the German government also accuses the government in Beijing of seriously violating human rights and undermining international law with its power politics in the Indo-Pacific.

“China’s behavior and decisions mean that the elements of rivalry and competition in our relationship have increased in recent years,” the paper said. The Chinese embassy saw the passages on Taiwan, Hong Kong, the situation of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang and the human rights situation in the strategy as interference in Chinese domestic politics.

The embassy assessed the federal government’s plan to reduce dependency on China as a risk to the revival of the economy and global stability. Instead, both sides should continuously strengthen their mutual political trust and promote risk reduction for mutual relations.