In a survey, a large majority is in favor of a tougher course in dealing with China - even if this harms the economy.
Foreign Minister Maas still wants to involve Beijing on Afghanistan.
Berlin - A large majority of Germans are in favor of a tougher course towards China.
For many, this also applies when the economy suffers.
In a survey by the polling institute Forsa on behalf of the journal
Internationale Politik
58 percent said that the federal government should take a tougher stance and defend its own interests more aggressively even if this affects economic relations with China. 17 percent only support a tougher course on the condition that economic relations do not suffer as a result. Only 19 percent of the 1003 respondents are fundamentally against a harder pace. Critics in the West accuse President Xi Jinping's government of serious human rights violations, especially against minorities such as the Muslim Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region.
However, when it comes to many global issues such as climate change or the corona pandemic, the world cannot ignore China.
The current issue is to involve as many states as possible in solving the Afghanistan crisis.
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas therefore advocated entering into an exchange with China and Russia.
When it comes to the Afghanistan issue, efforts are being made to “bring all the important international players to one table,” said Maas on Monday during a visit to the Uzbek capital, Tashkent.
"And it will be important to have Russia and China with us too." In this context, Maas referred to the ongoing talks on a UN Security Council resolution on Afghanistan.
There it will show whether there is a willingness to cooperate in Moscow and Beijing.
China: Alleged human rights violations
There are differences among the western states about how to deal with China. While the USA advocates the toughest possible stance, the Federal Government of Chancellor Angela Merkel is much more cautious - not least because Germany has close economic ties with the People's Republic. Among other things, Merkel advocates ratification of the EU's CAI investment agreement with China, which is on hold due to the sanctions dispute surrounding the situation in Xinjiang. The EU Parliament will only vote on CAI again if Beijing cancels retaliatory sanctions against several MPs - including Reinhard Bütikofer, the Green politician responsible for China.
In the federal election campaign, China - like geopolitics as a whole - has so far only played a subordinate role. After the end of the term of office, observers from abroad expect a tougher course towards Beijing under each new government. "It would be wrong to expect a revolution in Germany's dealings with China after Merkel," writes Noah Barkin from the Rhodium Group think tank. "Nevertheless, we expect that the change to a tougher line that has been initiated in Berlin and Brussels for several years will continue and possibly accelerate."
(Ck / dpa)
