{
  "id": 244681,
  "title": "Germans emerge as Europe’s biggest China hawks as economic pain begins to bite",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/germans-emerge-as-europes-biggest-china-hawks-as-economic-pain-begins",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-07T02:00:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3363227/germans-emerge-europes-biggest-china-hawks-economic-pain-begins-bite"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "Germans' increasingly hawkish views on China reflect a shift in their priorities as economic pain from China's industrial rise begins to affect their manufacturing sector and trade relationship.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
        "title": "Germans emerge as Europe’s biggest China hawks as economic pain begins to bite",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/germans-emerge-as-europes-biggest-china-hawks-as-economic-pain-begins-245378",
        "published": "2026-08-07T02:00:21.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}