Being party to US power plays hurts Germany

The German government is reportedly working to reduce the country's dependence on Chinese raw materials, batteries and semiconductors, with the minister responsible for economic affairs saying on Tuesday that there would be "no more naivety" in the country's trade dealings with China.

Speaking to Reuters, German Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said that Germany must understand that trade is "a new instrument of power". Declaring that the "fiction" of a united world with common trade was over, Habeck signaled that he was opposed to plans by China's shipping company COSCO to buy a stake in a container terminal operator at the port of Hamburg, citing concerns about Chinese takeover deals expanding from the technology sector into other industries.

However, Habeck also admitted that trade is "an instrument of solidarity". Certainly, it has brought China and Germany closer together. China has been Germany's biggest trade partner for the past six years, with volumes reaching over 245 billion euros ($246 billion) in 2021.