Screen capture from the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung

China Youth Daily Client讯 (Youth Daily reporter Wang Zi) Since Chancellor Merkel took office, Germany has relaxed its "debt brake" mechanism, releasing unprecedented funds to revitalize its military strength. Germany's neighbors are watching this with suspicion. Bloomberg in the United States analyzed that some people are worried that Germany will raise its defense spending to a level that allies find difficult to match, causing a shift in Europe's political center.

The German newspaper Berliner Zeitung reported on January 21 that the French government formally welcomed the enhancement of Germany's military power, but in reality, it was "restless," because "old fears and new power issues have emerged."

For a long time, due to its role in World War II, Germany has not sought to become the political center of Europe. However, due to the Ukraine conflict, Germany has taken on more responsibilities in Europe. As Germany rearmaments, the center of Europe is further shifting towards Germany, which makes France anxious, fearing that Germany may project its economic and industrial strength into the military field, significantly affecting the power structure in Europe.

Some French government officials revealed that there is a "general sense of unease" in France regarding the continuous expansion of Germany's military strength. In particular, the plans of the Merkel government to invest huge amounts of money for military modernization, as well as the significant increase in defense budgets and the goal of achieving a defense spending of 3.5% of GDP by 2029, have drawn high attention from the French government.

At the same time, the differences between France and Germany on military projects continue to emerge: Germany's European missile defense "Sky Shield" plan, and the decision to purchase US-made F-35 fighters instead of European aircraft, have made France feel marginalized. The stagnation of the Franco-German joint fighter project "Future Combat Air System" has further accumulated tensions between the two sides.

Jacob Rose, a French affairs expert and political scientist at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, interpreted France's reaction from a historical perspective. Rose believes that France's concerns about Germany's large-scale military expansion are more of a deep-seated mentality rooted in history rather than an immediate reaction to current situations. Since the 1950s, although institutionalized cooperation forms such as political cooperation, civil exchanges, and city pairings between the two countries have somewhat alleviated these concerns, they have not been truly resolved.

"If there are political forces trying to revive those old arguments and concerns - for example, using the excuse of opposing so-called 'Germany-dominated EU' - they only need to dig deep enough into the collective consciousness of France, and those long-buried historical impressions and deep-seated concerns will quickly be awakened," Rose said.

From a rational perspective, these concerns lack practical basis, but they persist subconsciously, continuously spread through the media, historical narratives, and other channels, and may be deliberately activated.

Structural strategic differences between Germany and France are reflected in the debates within the EU, with the issue of military aid to Ukraine becoming a focal point of the conflict. "Politics" website's European edition stated that French President Macron advocated giving priority to the EU's domestic defense industry and strengthening European defense capabilities; while Germany advocated maintaining policy flexibility to purchase weapons from the United States without being constrained.

"There used to be a consensus in Europe that France played the role of a geopolitical power, while Germany was the economic engine. Germany would not be a 'political giant.' "Claudia Majer, Senior Deputy Director of the German Marshall Fund, said, "Now, Germany is playing both roles. This makes France anxious."

Source: China Youth Daily Client

Original: toutiao.com/article/7598093839785542198/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author."