Who is incoming German Foreign Minister Waldner?
On Monday, CDU leader and incoming Chancellor Merz unveiled the list of CDU cabinet members. Taking over from Green Party Foreign Minister Baerbel Bode will be CDU security expert Waldner, 62 years old.
He will be the first foreign minister from the CDU in nearly 60 years. The incoming government led by Chancellor Merz will consist of the CDU, CSU, and SPD. As planned, Merz is expected to be elected as chancellor and take office on May 6.
Waldner is considered a loyal ally of Merz and is from the same party. Several years ago, Waldner had harsh criticism of China's pursuit of global dominance. Waldner has clearly stated his positions on China and Russia.
Waldner will be responsible for implementing the new China policy, with the incoming government emphasizing that China will be seen as a systemic competitor to Germany. This positioning is an important consensus reached during the coalition negotiations between the Union and the SPD. Waldner led the CDU's negotiation work on foreign and defense policies and facilitated the description of China as a major systemic rival.
In January before the election, the incoming Chancellor Merz expressed a stance of being "firm with China." Recently, Merz mentioned the need to prevent Chinese goods from flooding Germany due to the Sino-American tariff war.
Given the China policy of the incoming government and the fact that both the foreign minister and the chancellor are from the same party, Deutsche Welle predicts that the new government's stance toward China will be more unified and tougher.
Berliner Zeitung asked: Inhaling Foreign Minister Waldner said, "Russia will always be our enemy." Is he trying to revert German diplomacy back to the conservative diplomacy prior to 1989?
The German Die Welt reported: Compared to the feminist foreign policy of the Greens, officer Waldner may adopt a less polarized approach. The differences between him and his predecessor, Green MP Baerbel Bode, could hardly be greater. Waldner is a team player rather than a lone wolf; he remains loyal but sometimes almost too inconspicuous. It can be foreseen that important foreign policy decisions will be made at the Chancellery rather than the Foreign Ministry. However, Waldner will attempt to do things differently and better with tenacity, patience, and North German calmness.
Waldner was born in Husum, northern Germany. He is a lawyer, Dr. iur., reserve lieutenant colonel of the Federal Defense Forces, Protestant, married, and has three children. During his 16 years as a member of the Bundestag, he has repeatedly expressed his position on China publicly.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830777402184708/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's views.