Clues to China’s ties with Germany after Merkel hint at a relationship in flux over trade, rights

Under pressure from business, rights groups, voters and Washington, German political leaders must carve a new China policy on the go

Some officials and business figures believe it’s possible to keep up trade ties with China, even if there is a post-election change in mood

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Movement between politicians and parties to take the position of German chancellor after the departure of Angela Merkel this year spells change for the China-Germany relationship, given a shift in attitudes among voters and concern in Europe over forced labour in Xinjiang. Photo: DPA

Published: 6:00am, 22 May 2021Updated: 9:48pm, 4 Jun 2021

Beijing may have picked up on mixed messaging this week as to how German-Chinese ties may evolve following September’s election, as the clock ticks on Angela Merkel’s time in office.

On Wednesday, the Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) candidate for chancellor Armin Laschet gave the first major foreign policy speech of his campaign. He promised to maintain the strong trade ties that have seen Germany account for half of all European Union exports to China.

He would vote to ratify the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), an EU-China deal sponsored by Merkel, he told a think tank affiliated with the CDU, drawing attention to “economic relations that are of great relevance to us”.

A day later, however, in a European Parliament vote that effectively left the deal dead in the water, not a single MEP from Merkel or Laschet’s party voted to save it. Only one German MEP out of 83 voted against a motion that barred parliamentary debate on the CAI – the left-wing Özlem Demirel.

Analysts point to an evolving situation in Germany, where for many years strong trade ties with China have been accepted unquestioningly in mainstream political debate, but which are now being evaluated closely.