Berlin wants to send signal ‘that we are not naive,’ says Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
Germany’s government will Thursday unveil its first China strategy as part of an effort to ramp up pressure on companies to “de-risk” and reduce dependencies on Beijing.
The strategy, which is planned to be adopted by Cabinet and presented to the public on Thursday, is eagerly awaited as politicians and businesses across Europe and beyond are keen to see how the EU’s biggest economy is re-positioning itself regarding the economically important but increasingly assertive China.
The strategy will send out a signal “that we are not naive,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Baerbock’s ministry and other government departments including Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s office discussed last details of the strategy until late Tuesday before agreeing on a final text, according to two people familiar with the discussions, who were granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions.
Germany “had to learn in a brutal way, especially with regard to the Russian war of aggression, that one-sided dependencies make us vulnerable and susceptible,” Baerbock said, adding, “We therefore have to protect our own resilience, our own security, and reduce dependencies that threaten us in our desire for peace and freedom.”
A draft version of the strategy from late last year, which was written by Baerbock’s hawkish foreign ministry, had criticized China for its “massive human rights violations” and raised the possibility of introducing “stress tests” for companies to prove they’re not overly dependent on Beijing.
Source : Politico
