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Armin Laschet, the front runner to become the next chancellor of Germany, has warned of the danger of launching a new Cold War against China, and he agrees with Angela Merkel’s view that Beijing is both a systemic competitor , Is also a partner.
After U.S. President Joe Biden’s first official visit to Europe, Raschelt’s interview with the “Financial Times” mainly warned of China’s challenges to the West.Biden has made it clear that he wants Working with allies to contain China’s ambitions.
In an extensive interview, Raschelt, the leader of the German center-right Christian Democratic League, said that many people in Europe were skeptical of his hard-line attitude towards China.
“The question is-if we talk about’constraining’ China, will it lead to new conflicts? Do we need a new opponent?” he said. “Europe’s response is cautious because, yes, China is a competitor and a systemic competitor. It has different social models, but it is also a partner, especially in terms of addressing climate change.”
Rashet also called for Russia to get rid of the cold, saying that the West must work hard to “establish a reasonable relationship” with Moscow. “It is neither in our interests nor in the interests of the United States to ignore Russia,” he said, praising Biden for his decision to meet. Russian President Vladimir Putin Last week in Geneva.
With three months to go before Merkel’s election as prime minister, opinion polls show that Raschelt’s CDU is expected to win, even though it faces strong challenges from the opposition Green Party. One possible result is the CDU-Green alliance, which is the first alliance in German history, with Raschelt as prime minister.
In the interview, Raschelt painstakingly hinted at the continuity of Merkel’s policy. The two have very different personal biographies, but “we always agree on basic issues.”
a district The agreement seems to be ChinaMerkel is often accused of mitigating her criticism of China’s human rights violations for fear of harming the interests of German companies active in China.
Raschelt said Germany should not shy away from solving “critical issues.” “But I’m not sure that always talking loudly and actively about a country’s human rights situation in public will really lead to local improvement,” he added.
“Usually you can solve the problem through private dialogue with leaders of other countries, instead of talking about it at a press conference, so as to gain more influence in the field of human rights.”
This modest approach may cause potential conflicts with the Green Party, which is more eager to openly challenge China’s human rights record and tensions with the Biden administration.
Biden’s tough stance on China During his trip to Europe, this was the evidence. The G7 summit communiqué criticized Beijing for lack of transparency on human rights, trade and the origin of the coronavirus pandemic.
When asked if he thinks Biden is trying to drag Europe into a new Cold War, Raschelt objected, saying that he “correctly” viewed China as “one of the biggest challenges we face, for example in terms of new technologies.” And hopes to “strengthen cooperation among democracies.”
But he also said that in the geopolitical contest with China, the West should avoid falling into the Cold War mentality. “The 21st century is very different. Prism of the world before 1989 provided limited advice,” he said. “We have a multipolar world [now] With different actors. “
However, Raschelt insists that he will not be weak against China. “I will promote our partnership as much as possible while clarifying our expectations of China: it accepts reciprocity, embraces multilateralism and respects human rights.
Regarding Russia, Rashet said that he has always insisted that Russia’s annexation of Crimea is an “unacceptable” violation of international law. But he also believes that Russia as a member of the UN Security Council should not be ignored or belittled.
For example, he disputed Barack Obama’s famous description of Russia as a “regional power”, saying this was one of the reasons for the escalation of tensions between Moscow and the West in the past decade.
“It is the largest country in the world with a nuclear power,” he said, adding that Biden’s approach-restoring the ambassador, describing Russia as a “great power” and “taking Russia seriously as an interlocutor”-had already issued “Very important signal”.
Raschelt Beixi 2 pipeline, The Gazprom project transports natural gas directly from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea, saying that Germany will need more natural gas because it phases out nuclear power and coal-fired power generation.
But he also warned Moscow: The pipeline “must not become a geopolitical tool against Ukraine”. “The interests of Ukraine must be safeguarded,” he said. “If the Russians do not insist on this, the basis of the NS2 agreement will cease to exist.”
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