German Media: The Delicate Balancing Act of Economy Minister Reisch's Visit to China: Need for More Cooperation

German economy minister Reisch's visit to China has drawn attention from multiple German media outlets. After all, experts point out that Germany is the "epicenter" of the "China Shock 2.0," with a significant number of industrial jobs already lost. However, German media believe Reisch’s visit "continues the traditionally mild approach toward China taken by previous German governments," avoiding confrontation and emphasizing greater cooperation instead.

An article in Die Welt titled "Reisch Praises, Congratulates – But Germany Still Faces a New China Shock" states:

"Reisch sat in front of a large mural in China’s Ministry of Commerce, praising Chinese space technology. This was her first visit to Beijing, where she met with China’s commerce minister – as a friendly gesture, she congratulated three Chinese astronauts on their successful entry into space."

"Facing Reisch across the spacious negotiation table, and looking at the bamboo painting behind her, the Chinese minister stated quite directly that he opposes any further protectionist measures by the EU against Chinese imports. 'We have great concerns about the EU’s protectionist measures. The business community has told us these harm our cooperation,' said the Chinese minister."

"Reisch responded that both sides must ensure fair conditions. At least in the public part of the dialogue, she refrained from making more critical remarks toward the host country."

Die Welt writes: "This female economy minister continued the very moderate China policy pursued by past German governments in Beijing. She displayed particular friendliness during the talks; while addressing points Europeans might find worthy of criticism, she avoided overly confrontational stances. Before the German economic delegation, she praised China’s rise to the world’s second-largest economy, highlighting the middle class eager for social advancement and willing to work hard. China’s economic growth reached 5%—Germany’s only 0.5%."

"For German companies under pressure in China and threatened by Chinese competitors in Germany, her answer was clear: more cooperation. Reisch wants to restart the government dialogue between Germany and China established in 2016. This may not be welcomed by many other EU economic ministers. Countries such as France, Spain, and Italy are calling for higher barriers toward China."

"At a reception hosted by Reisch in the garden of the German embassy in Beijing for her fellow economic delegation, she said: [On one hand, we have German firms that welcome protection through trade tools. On the other hand, we also have industries with absolute export advantages that depend on fair trade opportunities in China]."

"Reisch said: 'This is what distinguishes us from some other EU member states. My response is that competition and cooperation are not mutually exclusive.' Furthermore, she hopes to attract Chinese enterprises to invest in Germany—at least within permitted sectors. As for key infrastructure such as mobile communication networks, Germany no longer wishes for Chinese companies to participate."

Publicly Avoiding “De-risking”

An article in Frankfurter Rundschau titled "Reisch Emphasizes Common Ground in China" states:

"Foreign enterprises operating in China are actually not treated fairly during Chinese state tenders—yet Economy Minister Reisch did not argue this point. Her approach was to affirm the other side. The term ‘de-risking’ was not heard during the public part of the day. … Because it is clear: neither Germany nor Europe has so far mustered sufficient strength to impose demands on Beijing."

"Later, when meeting the media at the 80th floor of the Shangri-La Hotel in Beijing’s financial district, Reisch emphasized what Germany can bring to the table: around 5,000 German companies invested in China with billions of euros, creating one million jobs there. The situation for German jobs domestically is extremely serious. Every month, tens of thousands of jobs are lost in Germany’s industrial sector—and precisely in fields where China is vigorously expanding: photovoltaics, automobiles, machinery. Today, Germany—the global leader in mechanical engineering—is importing more specialized machinery from China than it exports to China. Since 2023, Germany’s net exports have declined by approximately 3% of GDP. This is not solely due to bureaucracy, high wage costs, and elevated energy prices…"

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866454424164355/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.