Germany re-evaluating ties with China; Deutschland poses bolder stand against China
This move has irked China which has out-rightly rejected Germany"s charges, urging the later to view its ties with Beijing objectively, reported Deutsch media.
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Munich, Nov 1: Germany is re-evaluating its relationship with China after the outcome of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) - tough stand on Taiwan, industrial espionage, human rights violations in Xinjiang, and unfair competition.
This move has irked China which has out-rightly rejected Germany's charges, urging the later to view its ties with Beijing objectively, reported Deutsch media. Moreover, at the 20th National Congress in China, the last few sensible leaders in CCP have been removed and Xi Jinping tightened his authoritarian rule and surrounded himself with only "yes men", pushing Germany to re-calibrate its relations with China.
While efforts are on to prepare Germany's first China strategy document next year, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that violence must be banned from international relations while commenting on the Taiwan question, reported Deutsch media. The three-way coalition government that took office in December, is due to publish Germany's first China strategy document next year. Out of three, the Greens and Free Democrats, are more hawkish than Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), who want to avoid triggering a US-style Cold war with China.
His remarks on Taiwan have to be seen in the context of the fact that China is Germany's most important trading partner. If Berlin takes a clear stand against Chinese efforts to retake Taiwan, this could risk serious conflict, above all in economic terms. However, the German leadership has decided to reduce its trade dependence on China. Currently, it is dependent on Chinese raw materials, batteries and semiconductors, reported Voices Against Autocracy.
This could be one of the reasons why the Chancellor might approve the Chinese take-over of the German chip manufacturing firm Elmos. The semiconductor production of Dortmund-based Elmos is being taken over by Sweden's Silex, a wholly owned subsidiary of China's Sai Microelectronics. The said approval is being granted despite strong advice against the same by the German intelligence agency and warnings from the EU, besides warning from six of his own federal ministries, including Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, reported Voices Against Autocracy.