Raise 'cranes of cooperation' to develop common ground

When I recently visited Shenzhen of Guangdong province with a Berlin Global Dialogue delegation, many of my colleagues found it hard to believe that 40 years ago, this sprawling metropolis had just a little more than 300,000 residents. To me, few places embody the rise of China as much as Shenzhen, which has transformed from a remote fishing village into a global technology hub in only a few decades.

Since the late 1970s, China has lifted more than 800 million people out of poverty — an accomplishment that has not only benefited the country itself, but also can contribute to the economic development of many other regions, provided China uses its increased influence benevolently, and adheres to common international rules.

The past years have seen a worrying rise in tensions between China and the West driven by fear and restrictive economic policy against one another. Particularly in the context of security policy and geostrategic priorities, the rifts between the West and China are becoming wider — a development I view with great concern.