During the period when former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was in power from 2005 to 2021, some people noticed an unwritten rule, that is, almost every year outside the federal election year, German government leaders would go to China, which has almost become a tradition, which seems to be cold knowledge, but reflects the special characteristics of Sino-German relations.
The third day of Scholz's visit to China was in Beijing, which should be the most unhappy day for the big brother in the United States. Because from the perspective of economic volume, this is the second and third largest meeting in the world, and when the second and third meet each other, the boss must be a little uncomfortable in his heart, not to mention that the third is still an ally of the boss. From this point of view, the significance of consolidating and developing the relationship between the second and third elders goes beyond the scope of bilateral relations, and the conclusion is naturally that it will have an important impact on the Eurasian continent and even the whole world.
When it comes to allies, everyone says that Trump is isolationism, but in fact, Biden is also engaged in another kind of isolationism, that is, forming gangs and forming small circles to isolate China. The current US, Japan and the Philippines are the latest version, and the previous wave was through the Russia-Ukraine war, which forced the EU to choose sides. However, there is a cost to be paid for forming an alliance, and if you cut off Russia's cheap energy, you will have to sell high-priced energy to Europe in the backhand, and you have already won twice inside and out, so how can Europe be embarrassed? In fact, since last year, Germany has begun to import a large amount of Iranian crude oil in defiance of the US ban. Since it can be like Iran, it should be even less psychologically burdensome with China.
Scholz's visit to Shanghai was almost always reported by foreign media with the title of "warning China not to dump and overcapacity". This kind of Spring and Autumn penmanship is actually quietly endorsing Yellen's remarks on her visit to China, and under their pen, Scholz, who doesn't look too foreign and even a little rustic, has become a repeater, no wonder some netizens ridiculed Scholz for "saying it twice".
However, a closer look at Scholz's remarks shows that he told students at Tongji University that "at some point, there will also be Chinese cars in Germany and Europe." The only thing that must be clear is that the competition must be fair. In other words, there can be no dumping, there can be no overcapacity, and there can be no infringement of property rights. ”
As an ally of the United States, Scholz's response to "overcapacity" is conceivable, but compared with Yellen's aggressiveness, the German's statement is tactful and even more moderate. Asked about von der Leyen's call for "the EU to protect itself from China's overcapacity", Scholz said that "this must be achieved from the point of view of self-confident competitiveness, not from protectionist motives".
The Chinese leader told him that "China and Germany are both based on industry", which means that in today's global harvest by finance, the sense of resonance brought by this pragmatism between China and Germany is rare and should be cherished.
Sino-German economic and trade relations have undergone profound changes over the years. In the past, Germany had the technology in hand, and China could only provide cheap resources and markets, but now the relationship between the two sides is no longer so simple, otherwise emerging markets such as India and Vietnam can quickly replace China. "The industrial and supply chains of China and Germany are deeply embedded with each other" and "the markets of the two countries are highly interdependent", to a certain extent, this is also a community of shared future.
Merkel famously said when she left office that when she first became chancellor in 2005, China's GDP was $2.3 trillion, while Germany's was $2.8 trillion. Towards the end of her 16-year term, Germany's GDP grew to $3.8 trillion, while China's to $14.7 trillion. Now, three years after Merkel said this, this figure has also refreshed to $18 trillion.
Interestingly, Germany, as an advocate of green energy, is now finding resonance in China, which cannot be said to be quite successful in the field of green energy, but can only be said to be far ahead.
Speaking of which, I have to mention the German female foreign minister Baerbock, who is affectionately known as the "trampoline athlete" among the Chinese people. This is, of course, related to her former career. But it has to be said that her ability to flip politics is also leveraged. As the leader of the Green Party under the banner of environmental protection, she not only does not recognize China's contribution to low-carbon environmental protection, but is an anti-China vanguard.
However, we can also see Scholz's complex situation at home. The three ministers he brought with him on his visit to China were the Minister of Environment and the Minister of Agriculture, which belonged to the Green Party, and the Minister of Transport, who belonged to the Liberal Democratic Party. On the one hand, this reflects his pragmatic side, not only at the strategic level, but also at the tactical level. On the other hand, it is also a delicate balance between the three political parties that are in coalition government.
However, for the "traffic light government", red, yellow and green cannot be lit at the same time, otherwise it will be difficult to move an inch, and the order will be chaotic.