Recently, the warm visit of German officials to China has almost made people mistakenly think that this is a scheduled "German-Chinese intimate week". Not only did Chancellor Olaf Scholz spend the longest overseas trip of his tenure in China, but even Germany's largest opposition party, the CDU, was not far behind and sent a delegation led by Span, vice chairman of economic policy and climate issues.
Of course, this coincidental simultaneous visit can only make people sigh that in the political arena, both the ruling party and the opposition party attach special importance to relations with China. This may be a shared recognition of the enormous potential of the Chinese market, or simply that every political force does not want to lose ground in global competition.
Judging by Bavaria's governor Söder's itinerary, Germany's local leaders are also highly interested in China's economic engine.
No, Söder is not only the first German governor to visit China after the pandemic, but also carries the aura of "the hometown of German companies", apparently hoping to sell Bavarian cars and technology to the largest global market.
Such enthusiasm and frequent German-Chinese interaction make people think: on the global political and economic map, Sino-German cooperation is undoubtedly endowed with a win-win label with many expectations.
In this "win-win cooperation" drama, German politicians not only speak out frequently in politics, but also frequently act in business cooperation. Scholz's Citywalks in Chongqing and Shanghai are not only an opportunity to compare the similarities and differences between urban developments, but also to learn more about the Chinese market.
In addition, Scholz's purpose is clear through the company visit, which is to continue to promote in-depth cooperation between China and Germany in the field of innovation. After all, what country's leaders don't want to push their high-tech companies into an international market full of potential?
The CDU Spahn's remarks during his visit to China were also very eye-catching. While expressing concern about the current German government's economic policies, he also stressed the importance of maintaining a comprehensive dialogue with China.
This change in attitude makes one sigh at the fact that the flexibility of politicians is really above all else. In the big chess game of international trade, even if there are many internal grievances, maintaining friendly economic exchanges in the face of an economic power like China still seems to be a priority strategic choice.
With a series of high-level visits, it is clear how much Germany attaches to China-China cooperation. Prof. Wu Huiping's analysis reveals Germany's dual strategy of continuing to look for space for cooperation with China: maintaining and deepening economic and trade ties with China while emphasizing de-risking.
Behind this strategy is a deeper new normal of the global economy – in today's globalized world, the interdependence between countries has reached the point of irreversibility.
Against this backdrop, Germany's behavior is all the more rational. It is not only seeking to maximize economic benefits, but also to make long-term plans for its own political and economic future.
This in-depth cooperation between Germany and China is not only an adaptation to the current global economic situation, but also a prevention of potential challenges in the future.
Although Germany's close interaction with China may seem like a win-win cooperation, the complexity and controversy behind it cannot be ignored.
As Germany continues to deepen its economic ties with China, it must also face the fact that no single country acts in isolation in the current global political and economic landscape. Such in-depth economic cooperation could make Germany's position in international politics even more nuanced.
At the same time, this economic dependence could also become a bargaining chip for some kind of political pressure in the future. Therefore, although the economic bridge between China and Germany is being strengthened, it is still unknown whether the bridge will be stable and whether it will be able to withstand possible storms in the future.