The trigger for the debate was a survey by broadcasters NDR and WDR, published this Wednesday. Accordingly, all six ministries that are technically involved in the necessary investment review have rejected the agreement. The Ministries of Economy, Interior, Defence, Transport and Finance, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, justified this with the geopolitical situation, on the one hand, and warned of China’s excessive influence.
Because Cosco, one of the largest port operators and shipping companies in the world, must not only receive a financial stake in the terminal, but also provide a managing director and have a voice in decisions. As China is already the port’s most important customer, the planned participation could create “blackmail potential”.
Report: Chancellery wants “compromise”
According to NDR and WDR, the Ministry of Economy registered the matter for final rejection in the Federal Cabinet. However, the Chancellery did not put the test procedure on the agenda, which is why no cabinet decision could be taken.
Instead, departments are said to have been told to look for a compromise so the deal can still go ahead. If there is no resolution and no extension of the deadline in the cabinet, the agreement could automatically go into effect in October. Scholz – himself a former mayor of Hamburg – is scheduled to travel to China in October.
China is by far the most important trading partner in the Port of Hamburg. Grupo Cosco, which also operates one of the largest container transport companies in the world, has its ships docked at CTT for decades. On the other hand, Cosco wants to concentrate its cargo flows in Hamburg, making CTT a preferred transshipment point in Europe. The Port of Hamburg has been fighting European competition for years.
APA/Daniel Reinhardt The port of Hamburg is one of the most important commercial centers in Europe
Cosco has been on a shopping spree in Europe for years
Meanwhile, Cosco has built up interests in several European ports in recent years. The company has stakes in European ports of strategic and economic importance, such as Piraeus (Greece), Zeebrugge (Netherlands), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Antwerp (Belgium) and Valencia (Spain).
According to the German research institute China MERICS, the expansion of the company is in the interests of Beijing and is being financed by state funds. The development of a maritime trade network is a central pillar of China’s plans for a global trade network, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
In Europe, there are fears that China could gain too much control over European maritime trade and become a security risk. Ports are considered critical infrastructure. According to the NDR/WDR report, the EU Commission also spoke out against the agreement in Hamburg.
Ministry remains cloudy, criticism from all camps
The Economy Ministry declined to comment on the survey to the NDR and WDR or other media outlets, but the dpa essentially confirmed the report. According to the information, the Chinese embassy also declined to comment, but referred to a statement by the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Germany is expected to remain true to principles such as open market instead of politicizing normal economic relationships.
IMAGO/ZUMA Wire/Vuk Valcic The chancellery under Scholz is said to have demanded a “compromise”.
A fierce political dispute erupted in the cause on Thursday, and there was resistance to the chancellor’s office in all political fields. Green Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) had already made it clear in mid-September that he was unlikely to allow entry. On Thursday, her parliamentary group also warned: “China must not have the opportunity to influence our critical infrastructure,” parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge told dpa. “We must not repeat the mistakes of the past and again become so dependent on a country that we become vulnerable to blackmail,” Dröge said, alluding to Russia.
“Difficult Power Interests”
The FDP coalition party is also critical of the deal. “The Chinese Communist Party must not have access to our country’s critical infrastructure,” said FDP Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai. He warned against being naive towards Chinese rulers. “The single-minded power interests they pursue are not in our best interest. The fact remains: China is an important trading partner, but also a systemic rival. After that, we must act.”
Jens Spahn, vice chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, is also opposed to entry. “One lesson learned from the pandemic and the energy crisis is that we have to become more independent from China,” he told dpa. “German ports do not belong in Chinese hands. Especially since Europeans cannot participate in China’s ports.” The chairman of the Left on the Bundestag Economic Committee also demanded that critical infrastructure “not belong in the hands of questionable international corporations, but at best entirely in the public domain”.
Hamburg hopes to participate
Meanwhile, Scholz’s successor as mayor of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher (SPD), continues to support Cosco’s participation in CTT. “Nothing has changed on the matter,” said Senate spokesman Marcel Schweitzer, referring to the dispute in Berlin. The mayor does not share fears that China could gain access to critical infrastructure.
He always emphasizes that the land of the Port of Hamburg is and will continue to be entirely in the hands of the public authorities. The operation of the port as a whole is still 100% the responsibility of the Port Authority of Hamburg. Even the chairman of the board of the German Logistics Association (BVL) has no objection to participation.