Those who break away from China must finally push the new alliances

Sometimes things change suddenly. In the case of German economic policy towards China, that finally seems to be the case. The discussion about the participation of the Chinese state shipping company Cosco in a terminal in the port of Hamburg is likely to have contributed significantly to German politicians giving up their cautious stance towards China. It's about time too.

For years, German governments watched in awe as China, in competition with the West, secured strategic knowledge by buying up local companies. Up until now, this hustle and bustle has only rarely been stopped.

But now the federal government has done just that: When Chinese investors wanted to buy the two German chip companies Elmos and ERS Electronics, the intended deal was banned. The reason: China's trade and power interests could endanger the interests of the Federal Republic in both of these cases. These are clear, long overdue words.

It's just not enough to ban the Chinese from entering strategically important industrial sectors. Because one thing is also certain: the more stubbornly politicians assert their own interests here, to the displeasure of Beijing, the more difficult it will be for the regime at home to make business for German companies.

For many large German corporations in particular, the Chinese market as a sales and production location can hardly be replaced. Especially not overnight.

If German politicians want our economy to be able to cope with political disputes with China and their economic consequences, they should take a step that is long overdue: they must finally ratify the trade agreements negotiated by the EU with other economic regions, which are no longer so new.

For example, Germany has still not signed the Ceta agreement with Canada. In this, Canada is one of our closest allies. The trade agreement with the Latin American Mercosur countries, concluded in 2019, is also not yet signed.

Above all, however, it is necessary for the EU to start again for TTIP, the trade agreement with the USA. The Federal Republic must play the driver.

So far, the traffic light government has moved far too little and far too slowly on these important trade issues. This hesitation could become a real problem in the future, especially for Germany as an export country. Because the necessary development of alternatives to the large and lucrative Chinese market does not happen overnight.

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