Recently, German Chancellor Scholz refuted The Economist's "slap in the face" some time ago in an interview with "Die Welt" - "Is Germany the sick man of Europe again?" It acknowledges that the German economy is indeed weakening, but it is not its own problem, and that the government should take all measures to revive the national economy and focus on renewable energy. Many German media and government officials are also very optimistic about the future of the German economy.
Is that really the case? It's time for Germany to wake up, the sky has long changed. According to reliable data analysis, the German economy has already shown a sustained downturn. And the arrogant, complacent, conservative Germans are still "swollen faces and fat people", have not yet realized how bad the situation is, and even are still lucky, thinking that the German economy will usher in a "bottoming out", and since then it has been blossoming all the way and creating the glory of the past.
And the reality is a slap in the face. According to the statistics of the German Federal Statistical Office in the second quarter of this year, Germany's gross domestic product (GDP) growth in this quarter was directly zero, ranking first in the eurozone economy. Compared to last year, it has even shrunk. Even the EU, which is "oscillating and erratic," is aware of the imminent contraction of the German economy. They all know that excessively high interest rates, excessively high inflation and excessively low levels of household consumption are the main causes of Germany's recession.
In my opinion, Germany is completely inseparable from China in terms of economy. The EU does not think about building good relations with China and stimulating further cooperation and development. On the contrary, it has been provoked by the United States, pursuing so-called "independence" and tossing blindly without measuring its own strength, completely "turning the wheel" in the torrent of history.
Germany's "anti-dumping" strategy against China is thinking of "decoupling" from China. Formerly China's photovoltaic products; Now it is China's electric vehicles, China's batteries; It even pulled the collective "jump" of domestic industries and called on German industries to reduce investment in China. Many "confusing operations", China has not been affected by anything, it first "boiled over the people's grievances", and the result will naturally be a bamboo basket empty!
The German economy is inseparable from China. On the one hand, Germany needs and yearns for China's huge market, the German business community does not want to "decouple" from China, without the Chinese market, many German car brands, such as Volkswagen and BMW, will reduce the market size by nearly one-third. Capitalists are not philanthropists, how can they let go of China's "big fat fish" and return to their own streams to "touch shrimp (blind). Many well-known German brands are very optimistic about the future cooperation with China, and the BMW Group has publicly expressed its hope to cooperate with China, hoping to step into the opportunity of "China's modernization" and go hand in hand with China to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. Mercedes-Benz Group bluntly expressed its hope to further strengthen cooperation with China. German chemical giant BASF hopes to invest 10 billion euros in Zhanjiang, China by 2030; Germany's Siemens also actively expressed its hope to grow together with China.
On the other hand, Germany is inseparable from China's large and numerous suppliers of foundries and spare parts. The German industry does not want to "decouple" from China, and without China's OEM and supply, the German industry will directly die.
It can be said that the "anti-dumping" strategy implemented by the German federal government on China by large German enterprises has gradually transitioned from worry and indifference to opposition and increased investment in China. They know very well that, at least in Germany, losing the Chinese market is tantamount to suicide and death. Today's weak and even gradual recession is a warning to them.
Facts have proved that the relationship between China and Germany and even between China and Europe should be close partners, not-for-tat opponents. China and the EU have close economic ties and strong complementarity, and the benefits brought by China-EU cooperation far outweigh the competition, and the result of competition will only be snipe mussels competing with each other, and the United States, the "fisherman", will enjoy the benefits.
At present, Germany and even Europe should not blindly listen to the provocation of the United States, should not blindly expect their own economic bottoming out, but should have their own thinking, listen to the voice of the domestic people, recognize the adversity they are in, stand up, break the deadlock, objectively view China-EU relations, strengthen China-EU cooperation, and maintain the harmony and stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain.