According to German media reports, the German government, composed of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), hopes to closely examine the trade relationship with China and will establish a special committee for this purpose.

At the beginning of this week, the parliamentary groups of the CDU/CSU and the SPD will discuss this joint initiative in their respective committees. The Bundestag plans to debate and vote on this initiative this Friday.

The initiative aims to address changes in the "trade and geopolitical environment," particularly the security and reliability of supply chains and issues related to Germany's energy and raw material imports. The special committee will investigate "economically related aspects of the Germany-China relationship" as well as economic relationships with other countries and review investments from China, such as investments by Chinese companies in Germany's key infrastructure sectors.

The initiative states, "The committee's goal is to conduct an examination from legal, economic, and political perspectives to determine whether adjustments are needed, for example, in foreign trade law." The committee's tasks also include identifying areas where Germany is dependent and shows vulnerability, and submitting an "risk report" to the Bundestag once a year and reporting on its progress to the Committee on Economic Affairs every six months.

The committee will consist of twelve experts, who will come from different political, economic, and industry associations.

Jens Spahn, chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, said, "Achieving greater economic autonomy is a key task for this coalition. Through regular reviews of China, we hope to better manage our dependence on China: first, through expert analysis, and then taking appropriate measures when necessary."

"China is Germany's most important trading partner, competitor, and systemic rival," said Gita Conermann, a member of the Bundestag and chairperson of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce. China is exerting significant pressure on Germany's key industries.

At the same time, the Chinese market is crucial for German companies. "We need to clearly understand how vulnerable our value chains and raw material imports are. In addition, we need a comprehensive understanding of Chinese investments in Germany's key infrastructure and security-related industries."

Nicolas Ziepeleus, the organization's China affairs reporter, said, "Only by understanding our interdependencies can we ensure our sovereignty and lay the foundation for our long-term prosperity."

For a long time, it has been uncertain how the newly formed black-red coalition would shape Germany's relationship with China. This document is the second indication within a short period that Germany's policy towards China is changing.

Additionally, according to German media reports, the CDU/CSU and SPD have reached an agreement this week on the handling of Chinese components in Germany's 5G network, adopting a more cautious approach. At the same time, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research is currently reviewing a Sino-German research cooperation project.

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