Berlin Despite major differences, current exchanges between China and Germany are more intense than ever. One politician after another traveled to the People’s Republic of China. On Monday it was the turn of SPD leader Lars Klimber, two weeks before the German and Chinese governments will hold important talks in Berlin on June 20.
Before leaving, Klingbel wanted to hold “open political talks” with representatives of the Communist Party (KP). He wanted to “talk about key topics too”. The trip was marked by a reorientation of social-democratic foreign and security policy.
That sounds clear, but in reality the SPD finds itself increasingly caught between a rock and a hard place regarding its China policy. Externally, the Social Democrats have presented themselves as a voice of reason in the China debate – critical, but still as cautious as Klingbeil.
As a result, the SPD is distancing itself from Green Foreign Minister Annalene Belbork, who, in the SPD’s view, has acted too hard on China. This is very popular in Beijing. Chinese officials believe Chancellor Olaf Schulz is on their side, but they don’t think highly of Belbork.
However, Schulz and the SPD are increasingly being pressured by allies to position themselves more clearly towards China. Not only the United States, but diplomats from Europe are also increasingly openly calling for Berlin to more clearly acknowledge the consequences — including economic ones — of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
During his visit to China, the Federal Foreign Minister criticized issues such as human rights violations.
(Photo: via Reuters)
Klingbel has announced that he will deal with the situation surrounding Taiwan during his visit. He hardly shied away from the subject.
Defense ministers from around the world gathered in Singapore over the weekend for the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s most important security policy conference.
SPD does not want to bear the consequences of attacking Taiwan
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu warned against the creation of a “NATO-like” alliance in the Indo-Pacific region at the meeting. Lee said trying to foster such an alliance there fueled conflict and confrontation, with Germany also wanting to send two warships to the Indo-Pacific region in 2024.
On the eve of the meeting, Chinese state media quoted Li Keqiang as indirectly threatening Taiwan. “We will never promise not to use force,” Li said, according to reports. “China must be united.”
>> Read more: US-China Conflict – China Maritime Incident
Klingbell has publicly stated that China’s attack on Taiwan will have serious consequences. “If China attacked Taiwan, our relationship with China would change fundamentally, just like it does with Russia now,” Klingbel told Die Zeit. However, neither the SPD leader nor the Federal Chancellor wants to bear the exact consequences of such an attack.
Taiwan’s conflicts are getting more and more serious.
(Photo: AP)
Scholz wants to keep all options. He had already done so in the case of Russia before the Ukraine war broke out. At that time, he did not want to say that if Russia attacked Ukraine, the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project would be stopped. For weeks, Schultz didn’t even mention the word “North Stream.”
This particularly displeases the Greens, which are also now insisting on dealing with China. However, the federal government keeps saying that Bell Book and Schultz only differ in terms of their China policies, and there is no fundamental difference in content.
>> Read here: Bell Book’s visit shows how relations between Beijing and Berlin have changed – a commentary
In fact, there are some recent approximations. During Bell Bock’s visit to China, he demonstrated and visited several German companies with good cooperation between Germany and China.
When she was investigated by the German Bundestag after her visit, she emphasized that China is Germany’s largest trading partner, “this is also very good and very important.” The important thing is “don’t decouple us from China”. It’s about minimizing risk.
For his part, Scholz has also adjusted his stance on China in recent months. During his visit to Beijing last year, the accompanying economic tycoons were only backgrounders and did not sign contracts.
The SPD is far more conservative than the Greens in dealing with China.
(Photo: AP)
The upcoming German-Chinese government talks on June 20 may be equally unspectacular. “Business as usual,” it said in government circles.
However, the alliance is by no means as harmonious as the traffic lights suggest. Even during Belbook’s visit to China, the foreign minister pro-business Social Democrats suggested bluntly from Berlin that “isolation should not be the maxim of the turning point”.
Greens and SPD disagree on dealing with China
Belbook, however, never asked for it. The attack by the SPD party was thus largely an attempt to retaliate for the criticisms Bell Bock made last fall on the eve of Scholz’s visit to China.
There has also been a recent split over the partial sale of the Port of Hamburg to Chinese state-owned Cosco, with Scholz opposing Bellbock and other cabinet members.
In the Chancellery, on the other hand, there are concerns that Bell Bock and Economy Minister Robert Harbeck may go too far with China policy and unnecessarily anger Beijing.
At a recent summit, the Group of Seven nations decided to tighten controls on their companies’ investments in China. The Prime Minister’s Office wants to screen foreign investment as narrowly as possible. It’s unclear exactly what Habaek was thinking. In the past, however, he has been quite decisive on such issues.
Taiwan, controls on foreign investment, Chinese concerns about too much Western influence in the Indo-Pacific region, and the European Union’s plans to impose economic sanctions on Chinese companies that do business with Russia – the era of harmonious meetings between Social Democratic and Chinese Communist Party representatives is over. Klingbeil may have the same experience in Beijing on Monday.
more: Harbeck wants to control the Chinese business of German companies