History is the memory of things that have been said and done. —Carl Baker
Germany and China were the two main warring states of World War II. As the main initiator of The Second World War and the leader of the Axis power group, Germany is the existence of the underworld boss. During World War II, Germany swept through Europe, fighting the three world-class powers of Britain, France and the Soviet Union, and many countries moved closer to Germany and joined the fascist camp led by Germany. But not all countries, such as China, are interested in Germany's co-optation. Germany has repeatedly co-opted China and repeatedly mediated Sino-Japanese contradictions, hoping that China can side with Germany, and Germany even invited China to send troops to India and attack Britain from east to west. So why does Germany always want to win China into the fascist camp?
First, although China has a gap with world-class powers such as Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, it is also a world-class power and has certain strength. China has abundant natural and human resources, and although it is relatively backward, it has great potential and can become a powerful helper with a little arming and assistance. If China joined the German side, there was hope that the north could attack the Soviet Union, the south could attack Britain and the United States, and Germany would join the Middle East. In fact, the Germans have always attached great importance to China, and as early as the late Qing Dynasty, they proposed a three-country strategic alliance with the United States and China, and if it were not for Japan's troublemaking, it would probably have really been an alliance. After World War I, China and Germany still maintained very close relations, Germany attached great importance to China, and China was always the object of German co-optation. If China were half as industrialized as Germany, it is estimated that there would be no Japan in the alliance.
Second, Germany and China are the most resource-rich and populous countries in the world, with vast markets and huge economic potential. As early as After World War I, China and Germany maintained good relations. In the 1930s, China and Germany entered a honeymoon period, and the two countries carried out close cooperation in various fields such as politics, economy and military. Germany needs China's minerals and markets, and China needs German weapons and technology. Before World War II, almost all of the strategic materials such as tungsten ore, tung oil, and bristles needed by Germany came from China, and in World War II, Germany had to use substitutes because it could not obtain China's strategic resources, which made Germany suffer. Of course, China is also the beneficiary, and Germany has helped China build an initial defense industry and a modern army. If it were not for the outbreak of World War II, cooperation between Germany and China would have deepened further, and the two countries would have become more important strategic partners. So Germany has always wanted China to join the fascist camp. This will promote the development of German industry and economy, Germany will also play an important role in China's reconstruction and national development, and cooperation with China is very much in Germany's interest.
Third, during World War II, China and Japan were in a state of hostility, and China pinned down a large number of Japanese troops and war resources. An important purpose of the alliance between Germany and Japan was to use Japan to contain the United States and Britain and to work with Germany against the Soviet Union. So Germany wanted China to reconcile with Japan and pull China into an alliance, which would not only gain China's support, but also free up more Japanese forces to attack the Soviet Union or deal with the United States and Britain. It is just that Germany did not expect that China would not eat this set, although it still maintained a relatively close relationship with Germany, but it was not on the german thief ship, firmly on the side of the United States and Britain, and finally won the war and became one of the five major powers after World War II.