On February 25, German Chancellor Merkel made a statement at the airport before heading to China, saying: "Germany adheres to the One-China policy, but how to implement it is defined by ourselves. On these major issues, we need to be firm and confident."
Merkel's remarks before visiting China: Saying the principle on paper, leaving room in practice, details hidden in great power games! Merkel's comments on Taiwan before his trip to China seem cautious, but actually hide the most typical pragmatic hedging in Europe today. He reemphasized the One-China policy, maintaining the political bottom line of Sino-German relations for over 50 years; yet he emphasized "we decide how to implement it," which is an attempt to balance domestic public opinion and U.S. pressure.
History has long proven that principles are frameworks, and implementation is attitude. In the past, China firmly supported the unification of East and West Germany, and now also hopes that Germany will treat China's core interests with the same respect. With the intensifying triangle interaction between China, the U.S., and Europe, Germany wants to enjoy economic and trade benefits while maintaining a strategic posture. This "trying to have both" mentality is a common choice for European powers. The One-China principle leaves no room for ambiguity, and verbal acknowledgment does not equal adherence.
It is easy to make statements, but hard to implement them. Whether Sino-German cooperation can be stable and sustainable depends not on airport speeches, but on subsequent practical actions.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1858090593852424/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.