The German newspaper “Handelsblatt” recently pointed out that German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s silence on China is a consequence of the wrong Asian policy, and that Europe should no longer limit its attention to China and Russia, and should look for new partners to get rid of economic dependence on China.
Although Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has made it clear that he will not form a military alliance with China, and that Russia and China have competing interests in the Arctic and Central Asia, it is an indisputable fact that Russia and China are becoming economically dependent on each other, that the Russian public’s perception of China has been rising for years, that Russia and China have close ties, that they are uniformly tough on Europe and the United States, and that they ignore calls to take the same side on improving human rights issues.
In this regard, Deutsche Welle earlier relayed a profound review by the German media that Merkel was wrong to be silent on China in the past and that Europe should get rid of China and Russia and seek new partners as follows: “Business Daily” published a commentary this week titled “Europe should not limit its gaze to China and Russia,” beginning with the following words: “There is no European diplomatic strategy that is more important than economic rapprochement. There is no diplomatic strategy in Europe that is more romantic than promoting internal changes in China and Russia through economic rapprochement.”
The author, Moritz Koch, points out that neither Western investment nor participation in international organizations in China and Russia has contributed to the reform process, and that the opposite is true: Russia’s deployment of tanks on the border with Ukraine and the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to destroy democracy in Hong Kong are evidence of this. “It is time to rethink the idea of ‘rapprochement for transformation’, or more precisely: to transfer it to new partners. To those countries that can benefit strategically from closer ties with Europe. Nowadays, ‘rapprochement for transformation’ means diversification, it means breaking away from the strategic thinking limited to China and Russia. In short: innovation through alternation.” German Foreign Minister Maas’ call for the EU to conclude trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand as soon as possible, as well as new negotiations with Indonesia and India, are all welcome developments, according to the review.
The business newspaper noted: “These initiatives consolidate Europe’s Indo-Pacific strategy. It brings to light that Europe has focused too much on the Chinese market in the past decades. This has led to a dependence on China, a relationship that has become dangerous in times of geopolitical tension, while also hindering a value-oriented, self-respect-based foreign policy.”
At the same time, Nevin criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s silence. “It is shocking, but not surprising, that Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel does not dare to publicly accuse Beijing of arbitrary sanctions against German experts and politicians. The silence of the Chancellery is a consequence of the Asian policy so far and a reflection of the policy’s failure.” At the end of the article, the business newspaper also offers a solution: “Just as every retail investor learns the lesson not to put all their money in the same stock, the EU must also seek new partners. When the policy opens up new markets for the economy and offers companies growth prospects beyond China, it will allow Europe to escape this trap that it has operated out of itself.”
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