Posted on 04/20/2023 4:26:47 AM PDT by FarCenter
HAMBURG, Germany -- The German government's increasingly strong line on China is coming under fire from smaller parties on both the extreme right and left, whose growing popularity could pressure Berlin to soften its line on Beijing.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has in recent months become an outright opponent of the government's efforts to distance Europe's largest economy from China.
The party also endorsed French President Emmanuel Macron's controversial statement in Beijing, where he stated -- in reference to Taiwan -- that Europe should not get "caught up in crises that are not ours." By contrast, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock used her own recent China visit to strongly speak out against the possibility of China using military force against Taiwan.
The AfD's influence is growing. While it holds about 10% of seats in the Bundestag, a recent poll shows the party with around 16% support, meaning it has surpassed the Greens as Germany's third most popular party.
"The notion of Germany being a vassal state of the U.S. is strongly supported by both the right and left specters and recently got a boost from the center by Macron," said Reinhard Biedermann, a German professor of international relations at Tamkang University in Taipei.
"Most of the population is worried about affordable homes, high inflation and socioeconomic descent, making the people receptive for the AfD's foreign policy focus on resource security and restriction of immigration. By contrast, the human rights conditions in Xinjiang or the Taiwan status are abstract issues."
It has been a fast about-turn. Just a few months ago, the AfD urged the government to strip China from its status as a developing economy, decried Chinese economic espionage and demanded a ban on Chinese shipping giant Cosco's attempt to buy a stake in a Hamburg port terminal.
But the AfD's caucus in the Bundestag has lately been accusing German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and economic affairs minister Robert Habeck of reckless China-bashing and for launching an "economic war" against Germany's largest trade partner.
Unlikely?!
SNORT.
In any case, it’s all just more Kabuki theater.
Germany’s Deep State and the ChiComs are two sides of the same coin.
Who complain them when we blew up their pipeline, we’re lucky they don’t declare war on us
Europe’s right and left are different than our right and left. The media and leftards “confuse” this all the time.
The chicoms discovered that pure communism doesn’t work so they adopted the fascist model. No wonder the kraut blockheads like them. “Hey Franz, this long march has ein familiar beat!” “Ja ja, ist gut!”
China, Germanys largest trading partner. Are the Germans under the illusion that 1.44B Chinese will be their customers,too?
They export a lot of capital goods to China, e.g. Airbus planes.
Does that cut into Frances market?
Yes...they’re not very enamored with electricity!
Chicoms funneling money to smaller parties.
Here too.
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