Advertisement
China-EU relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Are China and Germany poised for business as usual after Merkel?

  • As Germany braces for months of wrangling over a coalition, China hopes the new leadership will retain the ‘balanced’ approach of the Merkel era
  • Though parties hawkish on China are certain to share power in Berlin, analysts are united in their belief that economic pragmatism will win the day

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
A clock displays the time in front of posters of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her preferred successor, Armin Laschet, in Berlin on September 27. Photo: DPA
Rachel Zhangin Shanghai
Beijing hopes that the new German leadership will continue its “pragmatic and balanced” approach towards China, as experts warned of possible headwinds in bilateral relations with the change of guard in Berlin.
Advertisement
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday that China attached importance to developing ties with Germany and was willing to work with the new government to safeguard and further develop bilateral relations.

“We hope that the new German government will continue its pragmatic and balanced China policy and consolidate the main tone of Sino-German cooperation,” Hua said.

Coalition talks are expected among (from left) Olaf Scholz of the SPD, Annalena Baerbock of the Greens, Armin Laschet of the CDU and the FDP’s Christian Lindner. Photo: EPA-EFE/Various
Coalition talks are expected among (from left) Olaf Scholz of the SPD, Annalena Baerbock of the Greens, Armin Laschet of the CDU and the FDP’s Christian Lindner. Photo: EPA-EFE/Various
This came as Germany’s centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) claimed victory in a knife-edge federal election on Sunday, winning a narrow majority with 25.7 per cent of the vote.
Advertisement
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU-CSU bloc gained 24.1 per cent, in the worst performance by the conservatives in seven decades. The narrow margin of victory signals the start of an exhausting few months as each side tries to build up a new coalition government.
Advertisement