Germany takes aim at China in first national security blueprint
- The strategy paper calls China a ‘partner, competitor and systemic rival’, slamming Beijing over human rights and for acting against Berlin’s interests
- At the same time, the document acknowledges that the Asian giant ‘remains a partner without whom many global challenges and crises cannot be resolved’
Germany on Wednesday called China a “partner, competitor and systemic rival” in its first national security strategy, accusing Beijing of repeatedly acting against the European giant’s interests in a bid to reshape the global order.
The document prepared by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition slammed China for putting regional stability and international security “under increasing pressure” and for disregarding human rights.
“China is trying in various ways to remould the existing rules-based international order, is asserting a regionally dominant position with ever more vigour, acting time and again counter to our interests and values,” the strategy paper said.
At the same time, it acknowledged that the Asian giant “remains a partner without whom many global challenges and crises cannot be resolved”. “That is why we must grasp the options and opportunities for cooperation in these fields in particular,” the paper said.
Publication of the much-awaited strategy blueprint came just days before Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang was due to visit Berlin.
