In his own words: German ambassador to China on Hong Kong, the economy and the Indo-Pacific
- Berlin’s China envoy Clemens von Goetze reflects on a challenging year for bilateral relations and the future outlook
- Climate change, the coronavirus response, human rights and regional conflicts have been at the forefront
Overview and outlook
Q: What’s your overview on bilateral relations and what is the outlook for the post-Merkel era?
A: We have developed a broad and comprehensive relationship with China in different fields over the past 40 years. Economic cooperation has been expanded exponentially. China is Germany’s largest trading partner.
More than 5,000 German companies are operating in China, employing a workforce of over one million and investing substantially. More investment is on its way. Meanwhile, Chinese companies have also invested in Germany to cover the European market.
We have more than 80 dialogues on political, economic, scientific and cultural issues with China. Our political leaders have had intense exchanges over the years, including at the highest level, on a very regular basis. We would like to continue and further expand these exchanges.
We are very well aware that defining global challenges such as climate change and regional conflicts in other parts of the world will require us to strive for common answers with China.
