Germany doesn't understand: Why was the German Foreign Minister's visit to China rejected? Why did China suddenly slap us in the face? What did Germany do wrong?

"Waldhoff's visit to China was suddenly canceled without any warning. This is less of a disaster for German foreign policy than a signal from China that Beijing has had enough of our submissive attitude. China is now more pressuring toward Germany than before, but many Germans have not realized what this slap means for us."

The passage I mentioned at the beginning was taken from a recent comment article on the German media outlet "Welt.de".

Those who pay attention to Sino-German relations should know that the German Foreign Minister Waldhoff's trip to China was canceled, and it was only two days before the scheduled departure.

This was Waldhoff's first visit to China after taking office, and he ended up making a fool of himself on his first appearance.

This incident has sparked a lot of discussion in the German media, including "Welt."

"Welt" described this event as a "diplomatic slap" given by China to Germany, prompting a collective reflection among Germans who have always been arrogant on China issues.

This is not just a dispute over diplomatic etiquette, but also a clear signal that Sino-German relations have entered a period of qualitative change.

Not only did Waldhoff's visit to China fall through, but over the years, Berlin has made far more fatal mistakes on the diplomatic chessboard.

Germany has long followed a pragmatic approach of separating politics from economics, dancing to America's tune on issues such as Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Tibet, while hoping the Chinese market would remain unconditionally open.

This "both...and..." logic clearly no longer works in the new geopolitical reality.

Germany mistakenly interpreted China's past restraint based on development needs as permanent weakness.

Now, China has clearly drawn red lines and armed itself with corresponding countermeasures. However, Germany's performance is like a driver still following old traffic rules, suddenly facing a new traffic system and being completely lost.

Germany wants to maintain trade benefits with China while cooperating with the US's strategy to contain China. This fence-sitting attitude may have been feasible in times of peace, but it is doomed to be unsuccessful in today's increasingly intense great power competition.

The 2022 Ukraine conflict woke Germany from its dream of cheap energy.

Now, China's control over rare earths has sounded an alarm for Germany's industrial security.

A recent report by the German Industry Association shows that Germany's dependence on key minerals such as rare earths, lithium, and cobalt from China exceeds 80%.

Whether Germany likes it or not, China has already grasped Germany's strategic weaknesses.

Experts from the German think tank "Mercator Institute for China Studies" pointed out that China's export controls can immediately cause German car factories to shut down within weeks. In comparison, the EU's anti-subsidy investigations against China are like slow knife cuts.

This asymmetric game situation has put Berlin in an awkward passive position.

Not only has Germany been late in adjusting its strategy, but internal policy contradictions within the German government have also made crisis management difficult.

The German Chancellor's office emphasizes dialogue and communication, the Foreign Ministry advocates showing strength, and the Economic Ministry fears losing the Chinese market.

This situation where three departments are going their own way reveals the fatal weakness of Germany's lack of a unified external strategy.

Thus, we witnessed a strange phenomenon: the German Foreign Minister was barred from entering China, while German automotive executives were warmly welcomed in Beijing and Shanghai.

This peculiar division itself illustrates the confusion in Germany's China policy.

Evidently, Germany has found itself in a dilemma.

It cannot return to the pragmatic approach of the Merkel era, but it also cannot find a new balance point.

Caught between the pressure from the United States and China's countermeasures, Germany is caught between a rock and a hard place.

This diplomatic move by China is not an impulsive act, but a carefully calculated policy adjustment.

Our core message is clear: If you Germany want cooperation, you must respect China's core interests and strategic concerns.

This new model of equal diplomacy marks China's complete abandonment of its previous policy of keeping a low profile.

Notably, at the same time that the German Foreign Minister was rejected, China sent signals to German businesses to continue cooperation.

This precise distinction highlights the delicacy of China's strategy towards Germany.

We are not simply rejecting, but rather seeking more reasonable cooperation under a new framework.

Today's Germany stands at a crossroads in history.

Will it continue to be a fence-sitter, relying on China for economic reasons and on the US for security?

Or will it take a path of truly independent development?

This diplomatic storm might be an opportunity for Berlin to wake up.

The era of "German manufacturing" is gradually fading away, while the era of "Chinese intelligence manufacturing" is just beginning.

For China, this is just the beginning. Germany needs to realize that in the new geopolitical chessboard, there are no longer rules that benefit one side alone.

As for Waldhoff's "diplomatic slap," I can only say that he deserved it.

Because this slap from China not only woke up the naivety of Berlin, but also the arrogance of an entire era.

Germany spent 20 years trying to change China, only to find out at the end that it was actually Germany that needed to change.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7566974692632838671/

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