On the eve of the Euro-China video summit, German Foreign Ministry State Secretary Niels Annen was unusually harsh in his criticism of China. He called reports of human rights violations in China “shocking”. China “has seen a series of developments that cannot be ignored.
Annen mentioned the draconian Hong Kong security laws and China’s provocative military exercises in the South China Sea. He said, “The bide policy under Deng Xiaoping centered on economic development and put territorial and political conflict on the back burner. Under Xi Jinping, this policy seems to have come to a complete end.”
The German Foreign Ministry does not expect a breakthrough in the negotiation of an investment agreement between the EU and China. According to Anjen, “China still has to make far-reaching concessions.” “So far we have not made enough progress in the core areas of the negotiations.”
The SPD politician also defended the Foreign Ministry’s position on Huawei. He said that Chinese technology groups such as Huawei cannot be suppliers of critical infrastructure such as 5G networks.
This differs from the position of CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel and CDU Economy Minister Altmeyer. Merkel and Altmeyer have never ruled out Huawei’s participation in Germany’s 5G construction.
But the state secretary for foreign affairs opposes the confrontational China policy of the United States. He emphasized: “I also oppose the demonization of China.” Language is an important tool in diplomacy, perhaps even the most important tool. People must remain in dialogue. Angren warned against decoupling Western economies from China. Otherwise, “it introduces a whole new logic into economic relations. This is a new form of protectionism: it is a system of competition and mutual exclusion.”
The German Foreign Ministry is under the leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Earlier, in a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Berlin, SPD Foreign Minister Maas strongly criticized China’s Hong Kong and human rights policies, and demanded that China withdraw its version of the National Security Law and allow UN observers into camps where Uyghurs are being held in Xinjiang.
The Berliner Zeitung argues that Germany and China were once partners, now they are adversaries. EU partners have demanded that Berlin take a tougher stance against China and have increased pressure on Berlin. The brusque tone of Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Europe was a harbinger of a change in mood. He was supposed to create a good atmosphere for Monday’s EU-China summit. But his bossy attitude caused consternation. The good times between China, Germany and the EU are over.
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