A number of German top managers have warned against withdrawing from the country in view of the debate about economic relations with China. China is and will remain the world’s second most important market, emphasized the CEOs of BASF, Siemens, Merck, Bosch, Trumpf, Heraeus, Schaeffler and the Port of Hamburg in a guest article in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine” on Thursday. “That’s why our presence there is particularly important in the interest of the German economy.”
“We are thus securing jobs and livelihoods for many people in Germany,” the article continues. “A withdrawal from China would cut us off from those opportunities.”
It is true that the political tensions in relation to China, for example because of Taiwan or the “human rights situation” in the province of Xinjiang, have led to changes. However, business representatives complain that the debate is currently too one-sided. The focus is “almost exclusively” on the rivalry of the systems, but more differentiation is needed.
Germany, Europe and China must “open up new opportunities in cooperation, jointly define projects that are in our mutual interest”. The “sustainable orientation of economy and society” is the central field for this.
The debate had picked up speed, especially in connection with the planned entry of the Chinese state-owned company Cosco in the port of Hamburg. Despite warnings and harsh criticism, the federal government gave the go-ahead for a minority stake of less than 25 percent in a Hamburg terminal. On Wednesday, in turn, Berlin prohibited Chinese investors from participating in two German manufacturers of microchips.
After the cabinet decision, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) warned against being naïve towards China, which is increasingly using its economic power “for power politics” and “possibly against the interests of the Federal Republic”. He also held out the prospect of further tightening of the law in order to influence economic ties with China.
In their article in the “FAZ”, the company bosses also spoke out in favor of a “targeted and continuous reduction of dependencies”.
