“We depend on China, but blackmail following the example of the Russian Federation is excluded” - German Foreign Ministry
Germany does not have the necessary parts that are used in batteries for electric vehicles, so the Germans will have to cooperate with China
German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock stated this in an interview with Deutsche Welle, PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Some things, like in the case of Russia, cannot be changed in one day. Many countries are now dealing with similar problems. For example, if we are now moving to electric vehicles to meet our climate goals, we obviously need batteries. In 98% of cases, we depend on other countries when we talk about materials that are used in batteries. This applies to all cars in Europe.
Therefore, our Chinese strategy is not only a German issue. We are developing this in coordination with our European partners, the European Commission, which has also made it clear that China is not only a competitor in some economic issues, but also a partner in the fight against the climate crisis,” said the head of the German Foreign Ministry.
However, she added that China remains a systemic rival.
“Therefore, we must make it clear that no one can blackmail us, as happened in the case of our dependence on Russia. This is the basis of our new strategy towards China. Work together where we can work together, but have a sovereign European strategy in the field of critical infrastructure, first of all, within the framework of our foreign policy,” Baerbock assured.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.