Germany’s Scholz advocates ‘balanced' policy towards China

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday advocated a "balanced" policy towards China, underscoring the importance of trade ties with the world's second-largest economy.

“It is clear that China will continue to grow economically, and China’s international trade relations should not be hampered,” he told a news conference in Berlin.

“But at the same time, there are security issues that need to be taken into account. Military security is one issue, and other questions also come into play. And you need to strike a balance here,” he added.

Asked about the German government’s new National Security Strategy, and carefully worded statements about China in this document, Scholz defended his government’s moderate approach.

“We don’t want decoupling, we want de-risking,” he stressed, and said this perspective has been reflected in the document.

“This has become a common language that we use regularly within the G-7, within the European Union. And we have also used these terms much earlier, because this is really our perspective,” he said.

Scholz argued that Germany should continue cooperation with China, while reducing one-sided dependencies.

- China both a rival, and a partner

The German government’s National Security Strategy document, which was released on Wednesday, described China both as a partner, and a systemic rival.

The document raised concerns over China’s increasingly assertive foreign policy, and stressed that some of Beijing’s actions have been counter to Western interests and values.

But it also underlined the importance of dialogue and cooperation with China on areas of common interest.

“We see that the elements of rivalry and competition have increased in recent years, but at the same time China remains a partner without whom many of the most pressing global challenges cannot be resolved,” the government said.