Germany, a major diplomatic partner of China, has decided to shift its focus to building stronger partnerships with democratic countries in the Indo-Pacific region to promote the rule of law. The move will serve a major blow to China.
Germany's shift towards the new India-Pacific strategy comes as Europe expressed concerns over China's track record on human rights and Germany's economic dependence on the Asian country.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on September 2 that they want to help shape a global order that is based on rules and international cooperation and not on the law of the strong. To advance the same, Maas said that Germany has intensified cooperation with those countries that share its democratic and liberal values.
Germany's new India-Pacific strategy
Germany's new guidelines pertaining to its India-Pacific strategy lay importance on promoting the rule of law and open markets in the region. The India-Pacific strategy of the nation has been endorsed by other nations including ASEAN members, India, Japan and Australia.
Germany's new India-Pacific approach takes a tough stand on China and includes criticism of the huge debt burden of countries participating in Beijing's Belt and Road initiative (BRI).
The nation will now work with France regarding EU-wide strategy on India-Pacific and it will look to strengthen its influence on this issue by having the EU bloc on its side.
Why is Germany drifting away from China?
• So far, China had been Germany's diplomatic focal point in Asia, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel visiting the nation once almost every year. China also accounts for 50 percent of Germany's trade with the India-Pacific region.
• However, economic growth failed to liberalise the Chinese market and the German companies operating in China were forced to hand over technology by the Chinese government.
• Further, the talks between the European Union and China over an investment treaty to resolve such issues were stalled.
• China has also been facing global criticism over its draconian national security law for Hong Kong and its treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
• These issues fueled increasing resistance to Germany's pro-China policies and its increasing economic dependence on Beijing.
• Besides this, German firms also expressed concerns about doing business and protecting their intellectual property in China, especially after Chinese appliance maker Midea Group bought German robot maker Kuka in late 2016.
Background
In recent time, Europe has been re-evaluating its diplomatic relations with China. The European Union had termed China as a 'strategic competitor' in 2019, focusing its trade and technological rivalry with Beijing.
The United Kingdom and France have already begun freezing Chinese telecom giant Huawei out of their 5G network partnerships. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had recently undertaken a five-nation official tour in Europe, but the visit led to a growing rift between the two sides.
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