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Breaking news and analysis on China-Germany relations, covering trade, investment and the impact of wider issues such as EU-China relations, people-to-people exchange, human rights, security, and conflicts over alleged unfair competition.
Pragmatism is at play in each relationship between the West and China, not least with Berlin and Beijing. For German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, that means continued engagement and commerce.
Latest cancellation by University of Cologne of prestigious visiting professorship of Nancy Fraser, one of the world’s foremost philosophers, is just tip of the iceberg, according to Hans-Georg Moeller.
Amid growing calls in the European Union to “de-risk” ties with Beijing, a high-level financial dialogue between China and Germany put the focus on cooperation.
- Patricia Flor says the summons is ‘quite telling’ and she told the Chinese foreign ministry Germany does not tolerate spying from any country
- Beijing describes the accusations as ‘groundless’ and says it has demanded that Berlin stops ‘malicious speculation and anti-China political farce’
German authorities accuse assistant to Maximilian Krah, the AfD’s top candidate in European elections, on suspicion of working for Chinese intelligence service.
Developments hours apart come amid rising anxiety in some European capitals over the threat of Beijing’s surveillance practices.
German industry debates how to proceed after finding cracks in a once robust and mutually beneficial relationship.
In public remarks in China, chancellor did not throw support behind Brussels’ de-risking agenda and focused primarily on German business interests.
Chinese leader tells the German chancellor that neither side poses a security threat to the other and they should continue to strengthen their economic ties.
Scholz’s trip comes as the European Union is undertaking an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), and as criticism grows in the United States about Chinese overcapacity.
A recent report has found China has overtaken Germany in terms of certain exports, an elevation of status for the Asian juggernaut but a potential source of tension for already fraught bilateral relations.
In an exclusive interview, ambassador Wu Ken says both Berlin and Brussels had greater understanding of China as more in Europe reflect on the ’risks brought by de-risking’.
Japan and the Netherlands have responded coolly to a US push to plug holes in its export controls, arguing that they want to first assess the impact of current curbs, sources say.
In meeting with German foreign policy adviser Jens Plotner, top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi calls on Berlin to avoid ‘de-sinicisation’ as Brussels plans to strengthen foreign investment screening and tighten controls on tech exports to rivals.
At the first high-level talks between China and Germany in four years, both sides agree to update a financial cooperation agreement, but trade appears sidelined.
He, a confidant of President Xi Jinping, covers a bigger footprint in the trade portfolio than his predecessor Liu He but is not responsible for tech or manufacturing.
Dialogue between the two countries is recovering, with top-level commitments on the weekend, analyst says.
Vice-premier He Lifeng and Finance Minister Christian Lindner met in Berlin on Sunday for the first talks of their kind in nearly four years.
According to reports, Germany is mulling a ban on Chinese suppliers in its 5G networks, which would be a major setback for Huawei.
Communist Party’s top security official Chen Wenqing takes part in high-level bilateral meeting previously attended by deputies, urging two sides to address ‘real threats’ and promote ’mutual trust and clarity’.
The chancellor warned that he doesn’t want Poland to just ‘wave through’ migrants after reports that hundreds of thousands of illegal work visas were issued.
The country’s ambassador to Berlin Wu Ken told a newspaper that Beijing is committed to ending the conflict but Europe and the US must play an active part too.
Blueprint backs EU’s strategy and highlights economic and political risks, but makes clear that decoupling remains off the table.
German diplomats have urged for deepening agricultural collaboration with China amid worsening climate change issues and global supply chain disruption, as well as the relaxation of a pork import ban.
Long a champion of cooperation with China, the German city of Duisburg has abandoned its partnerships there, a move that reflects broader uncertainty in the European Union about Beijing.
