German deputy speaker, who is also chairman of “China Bridge,” again cleans the ground for the Chinese Communist Party.

While the international community regrets that the sixth German-Chinese governmental consultation meeting did not touch upon the issue of human rights in Xinjiang, German Parliamentary Vice-President Friedrich, who also chairs the “China Bridge”, publicly excused the Chinese Communist Party, saying that China is not a dictatorship but only a party-ruled country. The remarks were heavily criticized by EU parliamentarians and academics, who warned that the Chinese Communist Party has infiltrated Germany’s political, business and academic circles on all fronts.

In an interview with German radio, Hans-Peter Friedrich, deputy speaker of the German parliament, said: “China is not a dictatorship, it’s just a one-party state, and we just need to pay attention to that. Of course you don’t have to accept human rights violations, but I don’t think it’s very effective to tell people out loud what to do.

The remarks in question are controversial. Friedrich is from the Christian Social Union and is the president of the German registered organization “China Bridge”.

David Missal, a young German scholar, criticized Friedrich for speaking out for the Chinese Communist Party, not for the first time, and for suggesting that his organization, China Bridge, has become part of the Communist Party’s united war effort.

David Missal said, “This is not the first time Friedrich has spoken out for the Chinese Communist Party, he has spoken out for the Chinese Communist Party on other occasions before. “China Bridge has been saying that it is an independent organization, but it is not, because some of its members are saying the same things as the CCP’s propaganda, and China Bridge is part of the CCP’s United Front.

Cheng Shiguang, a German commentator of Taiwanese descent, also pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party has long infiltrated overseas political, economic and academic circles, and suspected that Friedrich had negative material in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, which is why he willingly became a sounding board for the Chinese Communist Party.

Cheng Shiguang said, “If a one-party regime that is evil and destroys human rights is not a dictatorship, what is it? Friedrich’s ability to say such things without common sense is so serious that we even think they are in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, and are even held hostage by the Chinese Communist Party.

Friedolin Strack, head of the international marketing department of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), also said: The Xi Jinping era has clearly shown us that the Communist Party has a very tight grip on all public levels in China, and that our desire for a freer system in China, including freer integration into the global economy, is going in the opposite direction. especially in terms of political relations.

“Thorsten Benner, head of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi), tweeted on social media that the Chinese companies sponsoring the China Bridge are getting their money’s worth. The tweet was a sarcastic reference to Friedrich’s profit-driven efforts to clean up the Chinese Communist Party.

On Wednesday (28), German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang co-chaired the sixth round of German-Chinese government consultations, her last before she leaves office in the September elections. During the meeting, Merkel mentioned the issue of human rights in China, citing Hong Kong as an example in particular. She said that part of the German-Chinese cooperation is to solve some difficult topics, including differences on human rights issues, and the situation in Hong Kong is an example. Merkel called for a renewed dialogue on human rights to resolve the issues. However, neither Merkel’s statement nor the German government’s subsequent press release specifically mentioned the issue of the Uighur minority in Xinjiang.

On the eve of the sixth German-Chinese governmental consultation, German radio published an in-depth report criticizing China for becoming more authoritarian politically as it becomes more economically powerful. The report noted that since Xi Jinping came to power, the Communist Party has built concentration camps in Xinjiang, cracked down on Hong Kong, pushed through the National Security Law, and suppressed culture and civil society in general.

SPD foreign policy spokesman Nils Schmid has called on Germany to reposition itself politically vis-à-vis China. Reinhard Butikofer, a Green MEP recently sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party and chairman of the EU’s China Policy Group, also warned against Germany’s excessive political and commercial dependence on China and its huge market.

Only Friedrich made pro-China remarks to German radio. China Bridge was reportedly founded early last year to engage in dialogue with China and has been praised and praised by official Chinese media such as the Global Times since its inception. The organization’s membership list is not publicly available, but German radio found that its board of directors includes representatives from Huawei and Alibaba.