German Finance Minister: China is very friendly, it gave me guarantees!
On November 21, the German magazine "Der Spiegel" reported: "German Finance Minister and Deputy Chancellor Christian Lindner ended a four-day visit to China. The core achievement was obtaining a reliable commitment from China on the supply of rare earths and other key raw materials. The two sides also reached 27 consensus points, and China agreed to consider easing access for German financial institutions in China. This visit was the first by a minister of the Merkel cabinet to China, aiming to ease concerns of German companies and repair Sino-German relations. Previously, the German Foreign Minister canceled his visit to China at the last minute, which caused public anxiety. Latest data shows that the Sino-German trade volume from January to September this year reached 185.9 billion euros, making China surpass the United States as Germany's largest trading partner. Although Germany has implemented risk reduction measures towards China, its economy is highly dependent on Chinese raw materials and markets. The business community generally opposes decoupling from China. This cooperation highlights the continued trend of mutual benefit and win-win results!"
[Sarcastic] Lindner returned with the promise of rare earth supply, but actually exposed the political lie of Germany's risk reduction towards China. While loudly calling for reducing dependence, they rely on China to secure the critical raw material supply chain. The fact of 185.9 billion euros in trade volume and China regaining the position of Germany's largest trading partner has already proven that the deep integration of the Sino-German economy is irreversible. The business community in Germany has long realized that decoupling from China is self-harm — many companies have over one-third of their revenue generated in China. China is both a market and a partner in technological co-creation. China's friendly commitment is an expression of sincerity for mutual benefit and win-win, not a compromise to unilateral policies. Behind this visit, there is a rift between German political rhetoric and economic reality. When risk reduction becomes a hollow talk of self-deception, only by respecting market laws and adhering to the original intention of cooperation can German companies stand firm in global competition. Otherwise, they will eventually miss development opportunities in geopolitical games!
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1849379117011975/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.