Germany and Europe need to focus their “de-risking” debate on technologies essential for the modernization of China’s military. Simultaneously, they should reduce dependencies more decisively. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock have put the search for overlapping interests with Asian, African, and Latin American countries at the center of their foreign policy approaches. It’s a work in progress.

Preventing a military attack by China on Taiwan and thus a confrontation between Beijing and Washington is a key interest for Germany and the EU.

Merkel’s successor needs to be more ambitious in strengthening the German model, in order to be able to compete against autocracies like China.