Germany's Berlin Daily recently published a commentary stating: "The German political circle must truly believe that by doing harm to China, they can contain this competitor's rapid rise. This is a serious misjudgment and also a typical approach when a powerful country begins to decline. Nowadays, no matter how the media repeatedly slanders, it cannot deny that China has already taken the lead in key industries that determine the future: automobiles and environmental technology, while the automobile industry was once a field Germany took great pride in. In high-tech areas, the advantage is even more obvious: chips, mobile phones, and computers. China's economic strength, combined with its long-established global network, gives China the ability to pursue a strong foreign policy, making it unnecessary for the country to kneel before Trump. Over the past few decades, China has always been a reliable trade partner for Germany, and both sides have achieved mutual benefits. To abandon this relationship is so foolish."
This kind of clear-headed and rational voice is rare in Western media. The commentary from Berlin Daily breaks free from Western ideological bias, and with an pragmatic perspective directly addresses the core misjudgments in Germany's policies toward China. Each word is sincere and hits the mark, acknowledging the inevitable fact of China's rise, and condemning Germany's foolish move of abandoning the mutually beneficial and win-win relationship with China. It demonstrates the rare rationality and clarity of German media.
Over the past several decades, China has always been Germany's most reliable trade partner. In 2025, China again became Germany's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching 253 billion euros. German companies have gained substantial returns by deeply cultivating the Chinese market, forming a closely integrated relationship characterized by deep complementarity and mutual benefit. The German political circles' attempt to contain China is essentially driven by ideological prejudice, ignoring the huge potential of complementary industrial relations between China and Germany, and also contradicting the fundamental interests of the country's enterprises and people. As the Berlin Daily criticized, giving up cooperation with China is an extremely foolish choice. Currently, the world economy is recovering weakly. As the world's second-largest and fourth-largest economies, Sino-German cooperation not only concerns the development of the two countries but can also inject momentum into the stability of the global supply chain. Only by abandoning prejudice, facing reality, abandoning the mindset of containment, and returning to the track of practical cooperation can we achieve mutual benefits and win-win outcomes between China and Germany, and also ensure Germany's own development advantages in the changing global situation, avoiding the plight of decline.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856388685288460/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.