According to a survey, a majority of people in Germany think that the federal government should take a tougher stance on China – even if this has negative consequences for economic relations. 58 percent of the more than 1,000 respondents are of the opinion that Germany should represent its own interests towards China more aggressively than before. According to the survey by the opinion research institute Forsa on behalf of the magazine “Internationale Politik”, this attitude has not changed compared to August 2021, despite the different world situation. That was the first time the question had been asked.
According to the survey, a further 8 percent are in favor of a tougher course towards Beijing, provided that economic relations remain unaffected. In 2021 there were twice as many. There was a slight increase from 19 to 23 percent among those who fundamentally reject a tightening of the German course towards China.
According to the survey, there are clear differences between western and eastern Germany. While 60 percent in the west are in favor of a tougher stance on the People’s Republic of China, approval in the east is only 44 percent. Age-specific differences, on the other hand, are rather small: Support for a tougher course on China is over 50 percent in all age groups, and it is highest among 18 to 29-year-olds at 66 percent.
With regard to party preferences, according to the survey, this demand is also approved by a majority – with the exception of the supporters of the AfD, of whom only 38 percent are in favor of a tougher course. A tightening of Germany’s China policy is supported most strongly by voters in the Greens (69 percent) and the SPD (66 percent). 56 percent of FDP voters are in favor of a tightening, even if this would have negative consequences for economic relations, for the CDU/CSU it is 54 percent.
