Commentary
After decades of being China’s closest ally in the European Union, Germany finally appears to have second thoughts.
On July 13, Germany issued its first “China strategy” document to guide its political and business establishment on their China engagement going forward in an effort to balance the economic relationship along with the risks of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s increasing foreign belligerence abroad and domestic authoritarianism.
The document said China’s “growing prosperity and achievements … contrast with setbacks concerning civil and political rights.”
“This has also had an impact on the exchange between Germany and China. China impedes contact with its civil society, media, research institutes and governmental agencies. Against this backdrop, China is simultaneously a partner, competitor and systemic rival for the Federal Government,” the official document stated….