Out now: Why Germany’s New China Strategy Needs to Go Beyond Symbolism
The German government will publish its first China strategy this summer. What can we expect? Read my new short comment.
Germany’s China policy was long shaped by the country’s economic interests and the illusion that engagement could help bring about change. Beijing’s more assertive foreign policy has led to an awakening in Berlin. But how far will the German government go in redefining its relations with China?
In a short comment that I has appeared in Internationale Politik Quarterly, I summarize the controversy that has emerged within the German government and how this has led to a delay of the strategy's publication. A leaked version of the strategy in November 2022 suggested a substantial shift of Germany's approach. The final version will most likely favor more continuity than the November draft.
One of the most important questions will be, whether and how the German government can align with the European Union and "Europeanize" its China policy as it has promised in its coalition agreement of December 2021.