Germany has published documents on security policy in the past, but never a comprehensive strategy. Accompanied by four prime ministers including the foreign minister and the finance minister, Prime Minister Scholz held a press conference in Berlin yesterday morning to release the 76-page comprehensive national security strategy document of the three-party coalition government.
Huatu is reshaping the international order to counter German interests
Among other things, the document says that Germany sees China as a “partner, competitor, institutional competitor”. Berlin sees that China’s “competition and rivalry factors” have increased in recent years, “putting increasing pressure on regional stability and international security, disrespecting human rights, and deliberately using economic power to achieve political goals.” In addition, China “is trying in many ways to reshape the international order based on existing rules and insist on regional hegemony with increasing force, repeatedly opposing our interests and values”. However, the document also recognizes that China is still an indispensable “partner” in coping with many global challenges and crises, and is a “choice and opportunity that must be seized” on for cooperation in many areas.
Additionally, the document criticizes Russia’s attack on neighboring Ukraine as “the biggest threat to peace and security in the EU-Atlantic region.” Russia is trying to destabilize European democracies and weaken the EU and NATO. Due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany shifted from pursuing a peaceful policy to focusing on national defense and armaments. The Scholz government decided last year to increase annual military spending from the current 1.5 percent of GDP to 2 percent set by NATO members starting in 2024. This commitment is now repeated in the document, but states that the level of defense expenditure “will reach an average of 2% of GDP over a number of years”. However, the finance minister said that there must be special money to reach this goal, otherwise an increase in tax and other spending cuts will be necessary.
Describing Russia as the EU’s biggest threat to peace
The Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic also drove Germany to decide to avoid relying heavily on one party for energy and raw material supplies. In recent months, the country has been promoting the diversification of imports and introducing the production of key components such as semiconductors to the country. Germany will also promote commodity items for strategic reserves and encourage companies to hoard strategic reserves. The government will also continue to screen investors to avoid reliance on key infrastructure and resist the wrongful transfer of sensitive technologies.
Scholz pointed out yesterday that German security documents in the past focused on national defense, but now due to the drastic changes in the European security architecture following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the destruction of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline, as well as false information. , cyber attacks, and economic pressure from China and other powers “ The issue of “hybrid threats” needs to be focused on foreign policy.
Stresses he has no intention of disengagement from China and hopes to “de-risk”
Asked what message the report sent to Beijing, Scholz said: “The point is that China will continue to grow economically, and the integration of China and the world in trade and world economic relations should not be affected.. . But with this At the same time, we must consider the security issues that arise.” Scholz pointed out that Germany “does not want to disengage, we want to ‘de-risk'”.
The coalition government agreed a comprehensive strategy in November 2021, which has been delayed due to internal disputes.
