Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Netanyahu: If Lebanese Army takes steps to disarm Hezbollah, Israel will engage in reciprocal measures, including phased reduction of Israeli military presence in Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Photojournalist Houssam Al-Masri martyred, reporters Hatem Omar, Mohammad Ashraf Salameh injured in Israeli strike on Nasser Medical Complex.
Israeli media: Intense US efforts are being made to resolve differences, such as the issue of the Israeli presence on Mount Hermon and in southern Syria
Israeli media: The security agreement means amending the disengagement agreement, which will also address the Druze issue
Israeli media: Attempts to reach a security agreement between 'Israel' and Syria were among the topics discussed at the Paris meeting
Israeli media: Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif rejected a US proposal to join the recent tripartite meeting between Tom Barrack, al-Shaibani, and Dermer
Saba News Agency: Two martyred, five injured in a preliminary toll of the Israeli aggression on the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street in Sanaa
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: We observed a state of confusion among the enemy's aircraft squadron after Yemeni air defenses intercepted the attack
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: The Yemeni air defense forces succeeded in neutralizing a squadron of enemy aircraft and prevented airstrikes on some governorates
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: Our air defenses and missile forces forced a formation of enemy aircraft to flee the airspace

German investment in China rises to record high: Reuters

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 14 Feb 2024 20:36
4 Min Read

According to the IW Institute, German firms have invested the same amount in China in the last three years as they did in the preceding six.

  • x
  • German investment in China rises to record high: Reuters
    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chinese Premier Li Qiang brief the media after government consultations of both countries at the chancellery in Berlin on June 20, 2023 (AP)

Reuters has obtained exclusive official Bundesbank data analyzed by the IW institute that indicates German direct investment in China surged by 4.3% last year to a new high of 11.9 billion euros ($12.7 billion), accounting for a larger percentage of the country's overall foreign investment.

The report raises worries that German corporations continue to invest extensively in China, despite the government's requests to minimize their exposure and the dramatic reduction in investment guarantees for the nation.

According to the IW Institute, German firms have invested the same amount in China in the last three years as they did in the preceding six.

However, German investments in China over the previous four years have been wholly funded by reinvested profits, and corporations have also withdrawn cash, presenting a more mixed picture.

IW economist Juergen Matthes stated in the report "We can assume that there remains a split between the few big companies and the majority of small and medium-sized enterprises."

"Other studies and anecdotal evidence support the thesis that some medium and small-sized businesses are seeking to reduce their engagement with China or even to exit entirely."

In the previous four years, the number of German enterprises abandoning or considering leaving the Chinese market has more than quadrupled to 9%, according to a poll published last month by the German Chamber of Commerce in China.

Overall, German foreign direct investment fell to 116 billion euros last year, down from nearly 170 billion euros in 2022, as Europe's largest economy was on the verge of recession, according to the IW research.

Last year, investment in China increased to 10.3% of Germany's total foreign investments, the highest level since 2014, while German direct investments in other Asian countries remained stable at approximately 8%.

Related News

Merz eyes new alike-thinking trade partners over US tariffs

Germany slips back into recession as US tariffs bite

Germany is in a difficult position. Despite its desire to limit its exposure to China, the nation remained its most important commercial partner for the ninth consecutive year in 2023, according to preliminary statistics office numbers.

Politicians in German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition administration disagree on how far the danger of exposure to China should be lowered, with Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) calling for less dramatic cutbacks than junior coalition allies the Free Democrats and the Greens.

A source close to the plans told Reuters in early February that Scholz will fly to China with a business group from April 15 to 16.

German FM describes German economy as an 'unfit man'

Finance Minister Christian Linder stated at the London School of Economics on Monday that Germany needs structural reforms to boost its competitiveness.

This came after Germany was declared by the IMF as having the weakest performance among large economies in the world and was labeled once again “the sick man of Europe”.

Linder objected to this label, stating that “some say Germany is the sick man of Europe, I don’t think so,” adding  “we are an unfit man.” The “sick man” label was famously given to Germany by The Economist in 1999 as the country struggled with the challenges of reunification and reduced export demand. 

The German economy has shrunk by 0.3% year-on-year in 2023, as energy costs have risen, global orders have dulled, and interest rates have increased.

The IMF expects the German economy to grow by only 0.9% in 2024, well below the 1.4% predicted for advanced economies.

Linder further stated that Germany is “healthy, but not in the best shape,” while comparing the German and UK economies which he believes “both are in a downturn.” He previously compared Germany to a “tired man” in need of a cup of coffee of structural reforms, last month.

In another comment made to Bloomberg, the minister announced that Germany’s economy would be ruined if it followed the UK out of the EU, stressing that the single market is of the “utmost importance” to Germany. 

  • Germany
  • German economy
  • German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
  • China

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)

Hamas, other factions accept Egypt-Qatar ceasefire proposal: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 18 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS