German media: Germany's China policy should be less biased, China no longer sees Germany as a major power

The magazine "Focus" observed that the Chinese government has stopped subsidizing electric vehicles, opening up an era of survival of the fittest. The daily newspaper "Der Freitag" published an article by a reporter accompanying the Foreign Minister of Germany on his visit to China, pointing out that Germany's policy towards China still lacks a calm and objective attitude.

The German magazine "Focus" published a guest commentary by experts, comparing the automotive industries of Europe and China. The commentary said that while Europe was still fiercely debating whether gasoline cars would completely exit the market, China had already launched a new five-year plan. Here, electric vehicles have disappeared and are no longer considered a state-supported industry. For them, this issue has been resolved, and the market has been conquered. Now, capital is flowing into next-generation technologies: artificial intelligence, humanoid robots, and quantum computers.

The commentary wrote:

"China has put an end to this topic (electric vehicles). The Chinese government has classified electric vehicles as a mature industry, which means the state will no longer provide subsidies. This matter has been resolved."

Data also confirms this. In 2025, about 16 million electric and hybrid vehicles were sold in China, so the market share of electric vehicles has stabilized above 50%, with at least one out of every two new cars being an electric vehicle. In recent years, China has invested over $230 billion in the electric vehicle sector. The result is: since 2018, more than 400 electric vehicle manufacturers have gone bankrupt, and 80% of the remaining ones are also doomed to the same fate.

This sounds like a crisis, but it is not entirely so; it is a self-adjustment after the market has won."

The article points out that China has built a production capacity of 50 million cars per year, but actual sales are only half of that. This has led to brutal price wars: hundreds of companies have gone bankrupt.

"The side effect people hope to see is that foreign car manufacturers are systematically pushed out of the Chinese market. China has built a complete industrial chain from scratch, not only holding a market advantage, but its costs and technology are significantly ahead of competitors. Now, the task is completed."

In China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), "electric vehicles" have been removed from the list of strategic industries. The clear signal is: the support phase has ended, and the state is stepping back. The era of survival of the fittest is now beginning, where the weak are eliminated and the strong survive. Now, China is focusing all its attention on the next generation of technologies."

It is best for Germany's China policy to be less biased

The online newspaper "Der Freitag" published an article titled "China no longer sees Germany as a major power," written by a journalist who accompanied the German Foreign Minister, Wadefur, on his visit to China in December.

The author found that during discussions with economic figures stationed in China, many German company executives expressed concern about Berlin's statements on China. She cited an example: "Former Foreign Minister Bellbok once made unskilled remarks in an interview with Fox News in September 2023, which still remains fresh in people's memories. There are rumors that whenever the German ambassador to China, Flor, appears, he is met with booing or even people leaving the room. China has always been polite in hosting guests, and this behavior clearly shows serious dissatisfaction."

"We heard that China no longer sees Germany as a major power as it did 20 years ago, while the German government's policies seem to have not realized this. At the same time, Berlin is dealing with this confident global player with a lack of calm and objective attitude," the article pointed out. It stated, "It is best for China policy to be less biased and not to impose rules. It is obvious that regardless of whether Europe or the United States likes it or not, China is acting according to its own rules."

The article ends with dissatisfaction towards the German Foreign Minister:

"Clearly, German Foreign Minister Wadefur also understood this message during his visit. After the visit, he said Germany 'needs to catch up' and overcome 'dependence,' but he again warned China, as if China were still playing the role of a subordinate manufacturing workshop for Germany. However, what we saw locally tells us that this situation no longer exists."

Original: toutiao.com/article/1852629091673152/

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