Germany embraces reducing reliance on Beijing, ignores repercussions
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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock emphasizes that the strategy would signal that "Germany is not naive in its dealings with China."
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Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock took office on December 8, 2021. (AFP via Getty Images)
Germany will announce its first China strategy on Thursday to urge companies to reduce their reliance on Beijing and mitigate risks. The strategy, eagerly anticipated by politicians, will demonstrate Germany's approach to dealing with an economically important "yet increasingly assertive China."
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock emphasized that the strategy would signal that "Germany is not naive in its dealings with China."
The final text of the strategy was agreed upon after discussions among various government departments, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz's office.
Baerbock highlighted the need to protect Germany's resilience and security by reducing dependencies threatening peace and freedom, drawing lessons from past experiences.
A draft version of the strategy, authored by the foreign ministry, had previously criticized China for its alleged human rights violations and proposed the implementation of "stress tests" for companies to ensure they are not overly dependent on Beijing.
The CEO of the luxury car maker, Mercedes-Benz, recently stated that abandoning the Chinese market would pose a great risk to Germany’s production industry. Ola Kaellenius’ remarks are reflected in the company’s financial figures, where, in 2022 alone, 37 percent of Mercedes car sales and 18 percent of its revenues were generated through the Chinese market. Those numbers are expected to grow even more in the coming years, the president forecasted.
China's ambassador to Berlin stressed in January that plans for Germany's tougher China strategy reflects a Cold War mentality that could endanger the cooperation between the second and fourth largest economies of the world.
Read next: Berlin's China measures reflect Cold War mentality: Chinese Ambassador
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