Conversation

04.05.23

As Macron Arrives in Beijing, What’s Next for Europe and China?

Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova, Frans-Paul van der Putten & more
One year after the EU-China Summit of April 2022—famously described as a “dialogue of the deaf” by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell—relations between Europe and China remain tense and further complicated by China’s ongoing stance towards Russia...

Conversation

10.18.19

The Future of Huawei in Europe

Samm Sacks, Yixiang Xu & more
On October 9, the European Commission and the European Agency for Cybersecurity released their long-awaited risk assessment of the region’s 5G network. Written with input from all 28 European Union members, the report warned about a 5G supplier from...

Germany Toughens Stance and Blocks China Deal

Arne Delfs
Sydney Morning Herald
Merkel's cabinet on Wednesday voted to block the potential purchase of German machine tool manufacturer Leifeld Metal Spinning by a Chinese investor. The government took the precautionary measure even though the Yantai Taihai Group indicated at...

Viewpoint

05.23.18

Germany Needs China to Save the Global Order from Trump

Sebastian Heilmann from Mercator Institute for China Studies
The U.S. president’s attacks on multilateralism may push Chancellor Merkel into an unlikely alliance with Beijing. Germany and the EU have to test ways to work with China in the absence of transatlantic coordination. The goal must be to organize an...

Germany Says China Seeking to Ensnare Officials on LinkedIn

Tobias Buck
Financial Times
Chinese intelligence agencies are using social networks such as LinkedIn to establish contact with German politicians and officials, according to a study by Germany’s internal security service.

Germany Is Trying to Stop China from Gobbling up Its Companies — but There May Be a Downside

Karen Gilchrist
CNBC
Think of Germany and it isn’t long before visions of bustling business districts and thriving manufacturing plants spring to mind. It isn’t surprising: it’s these industries that have elevated the country to rank among the world’s leading economies...

Diplomats Fear Beijing Is Stalling on Allowing Liu Xiaobo out of China

Tom Phillips
Guardian
Diplomats in Beijing say time is running out for the ailing Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo to go overseas for treatment and fear China’s top leaders are deliberately stalling the process until it is no longer safe for medics to move him.

Liu Xiaobo: German Anger at China over Hospital Videos

BBC
Germany has issued a sharp rebuke to China after videos of Western doctors visiting ailing Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in hospital were posted online.
06.30.17

Four More Previously Unlisted Entities Become PSUs

Jessica Batke
Based on data released on June 28, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has permitted four additional entities to become Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs) for foreign NGOs. The addition of these four new PSUs confirms that the MPS is actively...

China PM’s ‘Dream Team’ Should Be Asia, Not Europe

CNBC
Last Thursday (May 29), Mr. Li Keqiang’s “dream team” became “golden partnership” as he presented in Berlin a glowing report card on a lucrative alignment between “Made in China 2025” – an innovation-driven manufacturing – and Germany’s “Industry 4...
05.23.17

German Political Foundations Register in Beijing

On May 23, the Beijing Public Security Bureau’s Foreign NGO Management Office presented four German organizations with their representative office registration certificates: Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Rosa Luxembourg...
05.02.17

German Political Foundations May Be Able to Register as NGOs in China

According to German media reports, China’s Ministry of Public Security has determined that five of Germany’s political foundations—Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Hanns Seidel Foundation, and Rosa...

China Overtakes U.S. and France as Germany’s Biggest Trading Partner

CNBC
China for the first time became Germany’s most important trading partner in 2016, overtaking the United States, which fell back to third place behind France, data showed on Friday.

China and Germany: the Honeymoon is Over

Klaus Larres
Diplomat
A visit to China by Germany’s economics minister highlighted the beginning to a blunter approach to bilateral relations.

EU Commissioner Oettinger Apologizes for China Speech

BBC
In a speech to German business leaders he described Chinese officials as having "hair combed... with black shoe polish" and "slitty-eyed"

Germany Inc. Is Not for Sale to China, Berlin Says

Emily Tamkin
Foreign Policy
And Beijing has made clear that it has “great concern” over this turn of events

China’s Deal Makers Have German Tech Firms In Their Sights

William Wilkes
Wall Street Journal
Chinese investors are buying German companies at about one per week in 2016....

German President Presses China on Political Prisoners During Visit

Didi Kirsten Tatlow
New York Times
Gauck delivered a speech in Shanghai that criticized repressive political states and called for civil society to be allowed to flourish.

Viewpoint

03.24.16

German President Joachim Gauck’s Speech at Tongji University in Shanghai

from Der Bundespräsident
On Wednesday, March 23, German President Joachim Gauck addressed an audience of university students in Shanghai. Among many views not typically aired in public in China, Gauck, a former Luterhan minister and anti-communist organizer, told the crowd...

China Fines Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz for Price-Fixing

BBC
China is the world's No. 1 car market and foreign automakers have been under scrutiny for allegedly overcharging customers.

BMW China Dealers Press Auto Maker for More Financial Support

Rose Yu and Colum Murphy
Wall Street Journal
In letter to German luxury car maker, dealers call on BMW to set more realistic sales targets.

Maybe Heads of State Shouldn’t Give Maps as Presents

Emily Rauhala
Time
An antique map of China gifted by the German Chancellor to China's President is at odds with how China views its historical boundaries.

Xi Jinping’s Germany Trip: Berlin Nixes Holocaust Memorial Request

Spiegel Online
Amid tensions over Japan’s historical war crimes, Chinese President Xi Jinping had wanted Chancellor Angela Merkel to show him World War II memorials during his upcoming visit to Berlin. Germany, however, wants no part of Beijing’s propaganda...

China, Eyeing Japan, Seeks WW2 Focus for Xi During Germany Visit

Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina
Reuters
Diplomatic sources said Germany did not want to get dragged into the dispute between China and Japan, and dislikes China constantly bringing up Germany's painful past.

Cyber Menace: Digital Spying Burdens German-Chinese Relations

Ralph Neukirch, Jörg Schmitt, Gregor...
Spiegel Online
European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company’s (EADS) firewalls have been exposed to attacks by hackers for years, but now company officials say there was “a more conspicuous” attack a few months ago.