Emphatic expectations of the Chinese leadership now come from the German government.
(Photo: IMAGO/Xinhua)
Brussels The traffic light coalition is correcting the strategic course set over the past decades at an astonishing pace. This applies not only to cooperation in the energy sector and efforts to reach an understanding with Russia, but also to relations with China. The ruling parties’ motion for “comprehensive support for Ukraine,” which the Bundestag approved by a large majority on Thursday, contains a passage on China that is almost as explosive as the passage on the delivery of heavy weapons to the Ukrainian troops.
The deputies call on the federal government to “emphatically” make it clear to the People’s Republic of China that it should give up its “approval” of the Russian war against Ukraine “and instead actively support efforts for a ceasefire”.
The factions of the SPD, Greens and FDP even go so far as to threaten Beijing with economic penalties. They emphasize “that any attempt to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia by the western community of states or even to supply arms to Russia will result in economic and personal sanctions”.
Expert: “Language of hitherto unknown sharpness”
Experts see this as a departure from the China policy of ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), which is primarily aimed at cooperation and conflict avoidance. “The application is the final break with Merkel’s China illusions,” says Thorsten Benner, director of the Berlin think tank Global Public Policy Institute. “The language accusing Beijing of condoning Putin’s war and threatening sanctions if the sanctions are circumvented is of unprecedented clarity and sharpness.” The signal from all the relevant parties in the Bundestag underlines “the massive irritation that the Chinese President Xi Jinping triggered by his entente with Putin”.
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Shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Xi and Putin had agreed on extensive cooperation and promised each other a “boundless friendship”. The EU sees the declaration of the two dictatorships as a “revisionist manifesto”.
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It is interesting that the Union parties have also joined the traffic light motion and are distancing themselves from Merkel’s foreign policy legacy. Under opposition leader Friedrich Merz, the CDU and CSU are also taking a much more critical course in China policy than before. “It is remarkable that all major parties in the Bundestag have joined this unvarnished message of China to Ukraine,” says Noah Barkin, expert on Europe-China relations at the Rhodium Group.
The threat of economic penalties is particularly important. “Coupled with the message the EU sent to China at its recent summit, it makes it very clear to Beijing that the cost of supporting Russia will be extremely high,” Barkin said.
Chinese companies take threats seriously
The SPD is also satisfied: “I am glad that we have managed to send a strong signal to Beijing with this application together with the CDU/CSU: If China supports Russia’s war of aggression, which is illegal under international law, we will not stand by and do nothing.” , says SPD politician Metin Hakverdi.
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel had a video conference with Xi at the beginning of the month and tried to loosen the axis between Beijing and Moscow. “No European citizen would understand if Russia received support to wage war. That would damage China’s reputation here in Europe,” von der Leyen said.
Chinese companies are apparently taking the European threats seriously. The Chinese drone manufacturer DJI only announced on Wednesday that it was withdrawing from the Russian market.
More: ‘After this war, nothing will be the same’: EU warns China against helping Putin