Thomas O. Falk

Opinion | Germany’s Olaf Scholz is unlikely to change tack on China, despite calls to get tough

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock wants an end to the pragmatic approach to foreign policy that characterised Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure

However, new chancellor Scholz’s calls for cooperation with countries like China and Russia suggest he is more inclined to take a page out of Merkel’s book

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Newly-elected German Chancellor and Social Democrat leader Olaf Scholz (second right) with coalition partners (from left) Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck of the Green Party and Christian Lindner of the Free Democrats. Photo: AP

Thomas O. Falk

Published: 1:30am, 17 Dec 2021

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberal Democrats got to work as Germany’s new government on December 8, ushering in a new chapter after 16 years of Angela Merkel’s leadership.

Although the three parties have vowed to overcome differences for the good of the nation, there are gaps that mere goodwill gestures and rhetoric may not be able to bridge. Above all, Germany’s future foreign policy is likely to become a matter of contention.

The issues are abundant. Will the government support the diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics? Will it implement a value-based foreign policy which encourages German companies to make investments conditional on human rights? Will it continue to consult the US and other democracies on Taiwan?

Germany’s new foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, would arguably answer all of the above with a resounding Ja. Baerbock expressly called for a policy realignment towards countries such as China and Russia during her campaign for chancellor, signalling an end to Merkel’s approach of realism and dialogue.

Baerbock failed to obtain the necessary election result, but her Green Party is nonetheless now part of the new government, and she is in charge of the foreign ministry.

At the beginning of December, she reiterated her stance in an interview with the German Tageszeitung newspaper, saying: “In the long run, eloquent silence is not a form of diplomacy, even if it has been seen that way by some in recent years.” A value-oriented foreign policy must always interplay dialogue and rigour, she emphasised.