Olaf Scholz faces a difficult balancing act in China. The German economy and politicians have great expectations of the Chancellor, as Green Party politician Deborah Düring explains in an interview.
China is both a strategic rival and an important trading partner for Germany. On the one hand, Chinese President Xi Jinping supports Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. On the other hand, the weakening German economy is dependent on good economic relations with the People’s Republic. A dilemma.
In this crisis, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is traveling to Beijing with three ministers and a large business delegation. A signal of a new beginning in German-Chinese relations? The foreign policy spokeswoman for the Green parliamentary group, Deborah Düring, expects the Chancellor to influence the Chinese leadership.
t-online: Ms. Düring. Olaf Scholz is traveling to China with a large business delegation and Cem Özdemir, Lisa Paus and Volker Wissing. Are you afraid that the Chancellor will cuddle pandas like Markus Söder?
Deborah Düring: That will not happen.
But do you see the danger that Scholz will flatter China too uncritically?
The federal government has adopted a China strategy that is based on three pillars: China is a partner, competitor and systemic rival at the same time. I assume that the Chancellor will follow exactly this approach on his journey.
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To person
Deborah Düring has been a member of the German Bundestag for Alliance 90/The Greens since 2021 and foreign policy spokesperson for her parliamentary group.
What signal does the journey give at these times?
China is a major economic and political player. The global crises are enormous and challenging. That’s why it’s the right signal that the Chancellor is going there to seek cooperation and also make clear what our position is.
The China strategy is initially just words on paper. Where does the fact that China is also a systemic rival and competitor have to be reflected in political practice on the journey?
It’s about maintaining dialogue with China even on difficult issues, such as sustainability, human rights and fair working conditions. The federal government stands for compliance with human rights and that will also be an issue. Economic policy is about “de-risking”. So it’s about reducing critical dependencies on China and strengthening European sovereignty without completely decoupling. These are the bitter lessons from Germany’s previous Russia policy.
Has this been received by all coalition partners? You can have doubts about the SPD if you look, for example, at the debate about Chinese influence on the port of Hamburg.
The entire federal government has adopted the China strategy. And we all put this strategy into practice.
What does Olaf Scholz have to do about this in China?
I expect the Chancellor to seek dialogue and of course also address the issue of human rights.
Two thirds of German companies in China feel exposed to unfair competitive conditions, as the Chamber of Foreign Trade has determined. They expect Scholz to stand up for them. Doesn’t this expectation that politics in China will open doors make the balancing act between partner, competitor and systemic rival even more complicated?
It is of course challenging and important that the federal government supports German companies. Strengthening fair competition is also anchored in the China strategy. We have to influence China on this.
China proposed a peace conference in the Ukraine war last week. Do you have hope in this Chinese initiative?
For me, what is crucial on this issue is Ukraine’s position on this. We have full solidarity with Ukraine and will support it if it says that it believes negotiations are promising.
This is not mutually exclusive. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says that he would accept China as a mediator.
As I said: This is Ukraine’s decision.
Thank you for the interview, Ms. Düring.
