Business | Deutsche dilemma

The conundrum of Germany’s business ties with China

Europe’s largest economy may be less dependent on China than generally assumed

13 April 2023, China, Tianjin: Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) visits Flender GmbH and is greeted by workers with German and Chinese paper flags. The company has been manufacturing gearboxes for a wide range of industrial applications since 1899 and employs around 8000 people worldwide. In Tianjin, gearboxes and drive components for wind turbines are assembled. Photo: Soeren Stache/dpa
Image: dpa
|TIANJIN

ANNALENA BAERBOCK kicked off her first trip to China as Germany’s foreign minister in April with a visit to a production site of Flender. The Mittelstand firm makes parts for wind turbines in Tianjin, a coastal city around 130km south-east of Beijing. Ms Baerbock toured the facility for about an hour, all the while bombarding her hosts with questions, such as whether its suppliers are local.

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This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “A continuing conundrum”

From the April 29th 2023 edition

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