The government published its first ever “Strategy on China,” a 40-page document that highlights the tightrope Berlin must walk in managing its dependence on the world’s second-largest economy amid growing criticism of Beijing’s human rights record and attitude towards international law.
China is a crucial partner in tackling climate change, pandemics and sustainable development, the strategy paper added. However, it is “pursuing its own interests far more assertively and is attempting in various ways to reshape the existing rules-based international order,” with consequences for global security.
The document said Germany was overdependent on China for medical technology and pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, as well as for information technology and products needed to manufacture semiconductors, and for the various metals and rare earths needed for the energy transition.