Germans emerge as Europe’s biggest China hawks as economic pain begins to bite
Germans have emerged as some of Europe’s most hawkish voters on China, more likely to consider Beijing as a rival or an adversary than in any other major EU country, a new survey has shown. Published amid a bout of soul-searching in Berlin over whether to back a tougher approach towards China on trade, the findings suggest that the country’s citizens might not be opposed to such a shift. A…
Recent survey reveals that Germans have emerged as Europe's most hawkish voters on China, with 49% of the polled population viewing the country as a rival or adversary. This figure surpasses France's 43% and significantly outpaces other EU countries. Only 38% of Germans perceive China positively, either as a partner or ally, contrasting with 65% of Spaniards and 62% of Bulgarians who hold favorable views.
Germany is China's largest trade and investment partner in Europe, but the nation is grappling with a broad-based manufacturing slowdown attributed to China's industrial rise. Germany's reluctance to enforce new measures was evident in the 2024 vote against imposing anti-subsidy duties on Chinese-made electric vehicles. However, an internal shift appears to be taking place, as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has hinted at possible changes, despite his government's divided stance.
A majority of Christian Democrat and Social Democrat supporters support a hawkish China policy, with 60% of Social Democrats seeing China as either a rival or adversary. The survey indicates a potential changing of the tide in Sino-German relations, with Volkswagen's CEO urging the EU to enforce tariffs on Chinese-made hybrid EVs and a shift in Volkswagen's stance on trade defense measures against China.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written; read the original for the full account.
