According to Tim Rühlig of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), the position paper reflects that relations between Berlin and Beijing “have become significantly more difficult”. While cooperation with China has long been seen as an economic opportunity, the new strategy focuses on minimizing risks, Rühlig told ZDFheute.
The strategy sends a “clear message” that the coalition sees the need for cross-party action, says Katja Drinhausen of the Mercator Institute of China Studies. It is positive that “the federal government is committed to a European orientation of its own policy towards China”, praises Rühlig. “All the important recent initiatives of the European Union can be found”.
ZDF correspondent Karl Hinterleitner on the federal government’s new China strategy.
07/13/2023 | 01:34 min
However, according to Rühlig, the newspaper also has problems: Although it is common for a strategy to contain no budget, the traffic light stated “explicitly” that it wanted to address the issue without additional financial resources.
This is “worrying”: “If the government maintains this position, risk minimization will fail.” Furthermore, the government failed to provide “new impetus” for an EU-level China policy:
So far there has been “no major response” to the Chinese government’s strategy document, reports ZDF correspondent Miriam Steimer. This is also due to the time difference, but there is another reason: the German approach “does not fit the image that the state leadership wants to convey”.
“Chinese state media probably won’t report much about this,” Steimer suspects. This is the difference for the German-Chinese government consultations in Berlin, through which the partnership and friendship between Germany and China could be demonstrated.
After a long cabinet struggle, China’s strategy will be decided today. The central idea here is risk reduction to eliminate dependence on China.
07/13/2023 | 02:38 minutes
Chinese reactions that have already occurred have therefore emphasized similarities, reports Steimer. China’s director general for EU affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Lutong, said on Twitter: The strategy shows that Germany is facing many problems, but none are caused by China. And: “The partnership with China is part of the solution.”
However, it is clear that the Chinese government will closely scrutinize the government’s 61-page traffic light strategy document – primarily for economic reasons.
For example, the export figures that have now been published show the steepest decline in Chinese exports in three years – the reason being weak demand for products from China.
The tension between “economic and geopolitical interests on the one hand and political values on the other will continue to fuel the political debate for years to come,” says Katja Drinhausen of the Mercator Institute of China Studies.