German Chancellor Merkel said in an interview: "The United States has 300 million people, while the world population is 8 billion. 7.7 billion people do not live in the United States. We must fully utilize this huge potential."
Comment: Merkel's statement is the most straightforward "de-Americanization" declaration of the new generation of German conservatives: he pointed out that the United States is only a small part of the global population of 8 billion, aiming to emphasize that Europe can no longer completely tie its diplomatic and economic fate to the United States, and must break out of the US-EU framework to actively embrace broader global markets and multilateral relations. The essence is to seek strategic autonomy, economic diversification, and a realistic approach for Germany that is not bound by a single ally, and it is also a rational response from Europe to the current uncertainty in U.S. domestic and foreign policies.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857053780189193/
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