Merkel in my study abroad career: Sino-German relations have warmed up, and the faces of immigration officials have looked good

Extremely eye news reporter Zhang Yang

German Chancellor Angela Merkel officially stepped down, and her legendary political career has been reported many times in the domestic and foreign media. Today, I would like to recall the less conspicuous Merkel in my career studying in Germany.

When she first arrived in Germany, Merkel only existed in newspapers that cushioned the table

In the second half of 2003, I began my studies in Germany. When I first arrived in a foreign country, I only cared about how to learn German as soon as possible, how to cook my own three meals a day, how to convert the euro into 10 times the renminbi in my heart, and then hand out the banknotes with great pain, and exchange the necessary rice, oil, eggs, vegetables and so on from the supermarket.

At that time, I didn't have time to care about the political circles in Germany, let alone a specific politician. Regarding Merkel, even if you try to search the memories of that period, you can only recall that you once saw a picture of her in a newspaper that cushioned the table.

At that time, she was not yet the Chancellor of Germany, and she was only an ordinary Middle-aged German woman who did not look outstanding, and such female officials were still quite common in Germany. In the Immigration and Social Security Bureaus, which international students often have to run, you can often see such female officials sitting across from you, asking questions that are often asked of you.

Merkel first came to power, and Sino-German relations fell into a trough

For a long time after that, this woman can be said to have no intersection or impact on my study abroad life. It wasn't until late 2005, when the whole of Germany was discussing the first female chancellor in German history, that I really began to know and pay attention to this person.

At that time, I was not familiar with German politics, and I heard my classmates around me say that this Merkel was a "big right" and was not friendly to China, and that Chinese students would suffer in the future.

And this fear is not out of thin air. In terms of relations with China, Merkel was not as friendly at first as people now think. She vainly attempts to influence China with "the civilized power of Western values," always targeting China on Tibet and human rights issues.

In 2007, Sino-German relations deteriorated dramatically, reaching unprecedented lows and freezing points. Although we as international students do not feel a very direct impact, the worry of having or not is always in our hearts.

The "price increase" made Merkel unhappy

As international students, we are more concerned about the chai rice oil and salt around us than the major events between the two countries. In early 2007, Merkel's government introduced a tax system reform to reduce the budget deficit, raising the VALUE-added tax rate from 16% to 19%. The increase in the tax rate does not mean that the taxes to be paid by merchants have increased, but that the overpaid money in this part directly increases on the heads of consumers. For us, it means getting a good night's sleep and all the things you're going to buy are going to go up in price by 3 percent.

At that time, our hearts were extremely resentful. And not only are the international students dissatisfied, but the Germans themselves are also complaining. After all, if the slogan is shouted loudly, and you suddenly raise the price of all the goods, it is an individual who will have resentment. But there is no way, life still has to be lived.

This price increase event can be said to be the most intuitive and profound impression of Merkel in the author's heart, and I still remember it - because the cost of living became tight at that time.

Sino-German relations have warmed up, and the faces of immigration officials are no longer so cold

The turning point in Sino-German relations occurred during the European debt crisis. Germany was forced by economic pressure to turn to China, and "economic dominance" once again became the main line of China policy. Since then, under Merkel's leadership, the cooperation between China and Germany has become closer and closer, and it has developed into an "all-round strategic partnership".

In this environment, the attitude of the entire German society toward China has improved. The most intuitive thing we feel as international students is that the smiles on the faces of those immigration officials are occasionally more, and some places that would not be accommodating or have serious bureaucracy have become more convenient.

Later in Merkel's administration, his immigration and refugee policies reinforced the atmosphere. Although I had already left Germany at that time, when I contacted my classmates who were still in Germany, they all said that it was much more convenient to go to the immigration office due to the influence of this policy.

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