Wall riders in European politics
In recent years, Germany has shown a contradictory stance in its relations with China, recognizing that China is its important trading partner and wants to maintain economic cooperation with China; In addition, Germany has followed the United States and constantly touched China's bottom line on sensitive issues such as the Taiwan issue, and this strategy of "riding the wall" has made the development of Sino-German relations full of uncertainties
Economic interests and political pressures
During her visit to China, Baerbock talked a lot about the Taiwan issue and tried to win over the United States to intervene, which aroused strong dissatisfaction from the Chinese side
It is self-evident that the German economy is dependent on China, China is one of Germany's largest trading partners, and the bilateral trade volume between China and Germany in 2022 will reach 254 billion euros
The European Commission's recent announcement of tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles has pushed Sino-German relations to the forefront, and German Economy Minister Habeck expressed concern about this and called for negotiations with China to avoid an escalation of the trade conflict
Can the rift between China and Germany be bridged?
In the face of the EU's tough stance on China policy, German Economy Minister Habeck is about to start a visit to China, which is regarded as a "firefighting" operation, aimed at easing Sino-German trade frictions and cooling relations between the two countries
Some German entrepreneurs have called on the government to adopt a pragmatic attitude to maintain economic and trade cooperation with China, and there are differences in the German government on the China policy, and how to balance economic interests and political stance has become a difficult problem facing the German government
Pragmatic cooperation is the right way forward
In the face of the current complex international situation, China and Germany should adhere to the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, properly handle differences through dialogue and consultation, and promote the healthy and stable development of China-Germany relations
Germany should have a clear understanding of the situation, abandon the strategy of "riding on the wall", stop playing with fire on the Taiwan issue, and avoid undermining the overall situation of China-Germany relations, and China and Germany should strengthen communication and coordination, deepen economic and trade cooperation, jointly respond to global challenges, and inject more stability and positive energy into the world economy
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