‘Evolution, not total overhaul’: China policy in a post-Merkel Germany
- Less is more for the SPD’s Olaf Scholz, who has said little on Beijing to become the front runner for chancellor
- The CDU’s Armin Laschet is playing the pragmatic card but trailing in Scholz’s wake
This is the first in a two-part series on the China policies of the leading candidates to replace Chancellor Angela Merkel. Here Finbarr Bermingham looks at what is in store from the front runners.
Vice-chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz had come from nowhere to be the front runner in the race for the country’s leadership. The stoic Social Democratic Party (SPD) veteran has been a fixture on the German political scene for decades and looks a shoo-in to be the first new German chancellor for 16 years.
Yet he was described by one analyst as a “black box” on China, having avoided being grilled on foreign policy as the German media and electorate have focused on domestic issues.
The SPD’s 15-page position paper on China from last year has been replaced by a couple of paragraphs in this year’s manifesto. On this point, the lack of communication could be an electoral asset for Scholz, observers say.
“The more you write about a topic, the more likely it is that inconsistencies will come up. Not talking much about China has maybe been the smartest way to discuss that issue,” said Pascal Abb, a China researcher at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt.