Russia’s attack on Ukraine has increased Germany’s concern about the country’s dependence on authoritarian countries. At the same time, Germany has become more dependent on China than ever.
18:13•Updated 18:14
Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz supports the partial sale of the port of Hamburg to the Chinese state-owned company Cosco, told (you switch to another service) German broadcasters NDR and WDR on Thursday.
According to the deal agreed last year, Cosco is buying 30 percent of Hamburg’s container port.
The deal has been opposed by six of Scholz’s government ministries and the German security authorities, because it is about so-called critical infrastructure.
The right of veto to block the deal is the Vice Chancellor of Germany representing the Greens by Robert Habeck at the Ministry responsible for foreign trade.
Habeck is from the German magazine Der Spiegel by (you switch to another service) also wanted to use his veto to overturn the deal due to its riskiness.
So far, however, Habeck has not succeeded because Scholz, in his position as chancellor, has prevented the case from being processed.
If the decision to cancel the deal cannot be made by the end of October, the deal can no longer be cancelled.
Scholz is scheduled to visit China in early November.
Germany is more dependent on China than ever
After Russia invaded Ukraine, there has been increased concern in Germany about the country’s economic dependence on authoritarian countries.
However, Germany’s dependence on China has grown even more.
This year, the country’s industry has already invested in China for half a year 10 billion euros (you switch to another service)more than ever before.
of the Institute representing German economic life (IW) the study published in August (you will switch to another service) Germany has become more dependent on China than China is on Germany.
The institute considers the increased dependence to be an even greater threat to the German economy as well, because China has increasingly behaved aggressively towards Taiwan.
Scholz has indeed received criticism for supporting the port trade, both from his government partners, the Liberal Party FDP and the Greens, and also from his own Social Democratic Party (SPD).
– We should reduce China’s influence in our country, not increase it. That’s why I think the China trade at the port of Hamburg is wrong, the representative of the German Bundestag representing the SPD Adis Ahmetovic said (you switch to another service) For Der Spiegel.
Deputy leader of the SPD parliamentary group Detlef Müller in turn wrote On Twitter (you will switch to another service)that Germany must learn from the mistakes of the past.
– Critical infrastructure belongs to public ownership! Müller emphasized.