Germany's China Strategy Needs European Integration, Says Economy Minister

Germany's Economy Minister Robert Habeck emphasized the need to update Germany's China strategy to include a longer-term plan aligned with Europe's approach during his visit to Beijing. Habeck highlighted the importance of addressing specific areas like politics, trade, and climate action, and called for a unified European strategy.

Germany's strategy on China needs to be updated to include a longer-term plan and take account of Europe's approach, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Friday on the first day of a visit to Beijing. "Sooner or later the China strategy needs an update," Habeck said at a reception at the German embassy in Beijing. Habeck said the China strategy lacks direction on how Germany sees the medium-term relationship between the two countries.

"I am saying this because I am sure the Chinese have it (a medium-term plan)," Habeck said. The economy minister said specific areas should be tackled in politics, trade and climate action.

"A strategy means you have to look in the future and to describe at least a path to the future, even when it will never happen as it is described," Habeck said. The second problem was that it was the German government's China strategy and missed the European approach, he said.

"That would be an even bigger challenge because honestly we would have very easily 27 China strategies," he said, instead of a single strategy. Beijing warned on Friday that escalating frictions with the European Union over electric vehicle imports could trigger a trade war, and the proposed tariffs were high on Habeck's agenda for his three-day visit to the country.

Straight after landing in Beijing, Habeck went to his first meeting of the trip, with EU ambassadors. Despite the challenges, he called for a European approach, which he said was needed in a complex world.

"Europe matters and we have to stand together," Habeck said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)