Germany is recalibrating its close economic ties with China

In recent years members of parliament from parties across the political spectrum had pushed for a rethink of Germany’s China policy, without much success. Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor for 16 years until the end of last year, stuck to a course that prioritised ever-closer commercial ties over concerns about human rights or China’s geostrategic ambitions. This was always set to change with the advent of a new government, led by Olaf Scholz, which had promised a new China strategy in its coalition agreement. But the war in Ukraine has focused minds even more on the dangers of close business relations with an autocracy.