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German politicians call for US, Europe to form united front on China
- Defence chief Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer suggests a ‘newly strengthened Western trade alliance’
- And top diplomat Heiko Maas says future of transatlantic relations will be ‘determined by the right way of dealing with Beijing’
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Two high-ranking German officials have called on the United States to work together with Europe in response to China, ahead of the US election next week.
The push for a united front on China from the German defence and foreign ministers comes after the launch of a new US-Europe forum to discuss China-related issues, with the first talks to be held next month. It was announced following a phone call between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his EU counterpart Josep Borrell on Friday.
European officials have long complained about Beijing’s lack of progress on opening up the Chinese economy to foreign players, and more recently about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, including during a virtual summit with President Xi Jinping in September.
But Germany has been reluctant to get too close to the US, especially since Donald Trump became president in 2016. Trump has repeatedly berated Berlin for not paying enough into the Nato coffers, and the EU as a whole for competing against the US.
Calling herself an “Atlanticist”, however, German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on Saturday suggested building a “newly strengthened Western trade alliance” in response to Chinese practices.
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