The news that German Chancellor Scholz plans to visit China on 4 November has been widely welcomed by the German business community. The chairman of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry stressed in an interview a few days ago that Germany cannot decouple from China, and "without China, Germany will become poorer."
On China policy, the current German federal government is divided, and the Chancellery insists on cooperation with China, but the Ministry of Economy and Foreign Affairs (both ministers are Green Party) continue to advocate reducing the so-called "dependence on China". On November 1, local time, German Foreign Minister Baerbock said that at present, the German government is changing its policy towards China, but at the same time added that Germany cannot decouple from China in a globalized world.
Vanceleben, President of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (data map)
On October 30, Vanceleben, chairman of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, was interviewed by Deutsche Television.
When it comes to Sino-German relations, Vanceleben bluntly said that "without China, there would be no world", and Germany, Europe and even the world rely on China in many ways to solve pressing problems such as climate change and food security. "Without China, we can never really solve these problems."
Vansleben further said that in the view of the German economic community, the China issue involves at least five aspects: political issues, the economic community has no right to intervene; On economic issues, relations with China involve supply chain diversification; On global issues, the world "urgently needs China" ...
"That means we can't decouple, we need to deal with China," Vanceleben told Deutsche TV, "which is why the German business community is happy to see the chancellor under pressure to make decisions that are not welcomed by everyone." He added that Scholz's visit to China would be "the first visit to one of the most important countries in the world" and that dialogue with the Chinese side was crucial.
Asked whether Germany now needs a "real geopolitical strategy that is less business-driven" in its relations with China, Vinsleburn again stressed that China is one of the most important sales markets for German business, one of the most important suppliers of raw materials, and one of the most important markets for innovation, "which means that we must not ignore China".
Vansleben said that the German economic situation is not optimistic, and the energy crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict is damaging Germany's competitiveness.
"Everyone should be clear about one thing: not decoupling from China will not lead to the loss of prosperity in our country," he said, adding that "without China, the German economy would be much more difficult; Without China, Germany would be poorer."
"Without China, Germany would be poorer"
According to the German magazine Der Spiegel, on November 1, German Foreign Minister Baerbock, who is visiting Uzbekistan, said that in a dialogue with the Ukrainian president, she "made it clear that the federal government is developing a new China policy." But she added: "As we all know, China is our partner on global issues and we cannot decouple (from China) in a globalized world." ”
German Foreign Minister (left) visits Uzbekistan, pictured from German media
According to the Foreign Ministry, German Federal Chancellor Scholz is scheduled to pay an official visit to China on November 4. Bloomberg quoted sources as saying that Scholz will lead a delegation of senior business leaders to China, including CEOs of German companies such as Adidas, Deutsche Bank, Siemens, Byenteco and Volkswagen.
Not long ago, after many twists and turns, COSCO SHIPPING Group's stake in the container terminal of Hamburg Port, Germany's largest port, was finally "approved" by the German government. On October 26, the German government approved COSCO, a Chinese company, to hold a 24.9% stake in the Hamburg Port "Fudi" container terminal. Scholz responded that the government's decision was "correct."
It is worth mentioning that the German Federal Minister of Economy and the Foreign Minister (both Greens) tried to block the completion of the deal.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on November 1 that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Germany, and China and Germany are all-round strategic partners, and this visit is the first visit to China by a European leader since the outbreak of the epidemic, and the first visit to China since Chancellor Scholz took office. "I believe that this visit will inject new impetus into the in-depth development of the all-round strategic partnership between China and Germany in the new era and contribute to world peace and stable growth."
Source: Global Network