Page 10 - Port of Hamburg Magazine - 02.19
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■ HAMBURG AND CHINA
In our view, above all, it is important for the EU to act as one.
Doesn’t the lack of unity in the EU on policy towards China allow them to exploit a gap left open by the EU and Germany, with the 16+1 strategy, especially among other things for the countries in the West- ern Balkans that want to join the EU? We can see too that on the EU side, countries such as Hungary, Poland and Czechia happily accept European fund-
“Trade with China and the
New Silk Road are an enormous opportunity for Germany and the Port of Hamburg.”
ing, but are unhappy keeping to European rules. Is China using these countries as a bargaining chip against the EU?
Unfortunately, you can’t altogether dismiss this ac- count. To counteract the Chinese side’s 16+1 activities, we have to utilize and implement our own European in- struments better. The basis for this is a clear EU-China policy. However, with all the justified criticism regard- ing certain Chinese approaches, we should recognize and appreciate China’s enormous development in re- cent years. It cannot be in our interest to have a weak China. However, special formats that weaken our com- mon approach should be rejected by European coun-
DISCUSSION OVER CHINA: NIELS ANNEN AND INGO EGLOFF, JOINT CEO PORT OF HAMBURG MARKETING
tries in their own interest. What we need is an open dialogue and transparency, as well as observance of valid rules.
China’s policy towards Germany and Europe has changed during recent years. Today the Chinese President Xi Jinping openly says that they do not want to align themselves with the West. This makes them much more competitive. Is competi- tion developing between the systems and can we even win such a dispute?
That depends on us. When there is one China poli- cy in Europe and not 27, then we shall remain com- petitive in the future. And, when it is a question of our own failures, then we shouldn’t be pointing the finger at China. The Chinese side has to master an unbelievably complex task. In Germany, we know how difficult it is to shape policy in a federal country. To govern a country the size of China centrally is a great challenge. At the same time, this cannot be used as an excuse by the Chinese side. From time to time, today as a nation, China presents itself offen- sively over territorial conflicts. At the same time, we also observe that the human rights situation in China has been becoming more problematic for years. At both bilateral meetings and on the international lev- el, we shall not stop raising our concerns regarding Chinese human rights. Commitment to human rights is central to our policy – not only when it comes to China. Unfortunately, not all European countries see that so clearly. When they travel to Beijing to tie up business deals, without mentioning human rights, this ultimately leads to our common European val- ues losing significance in Chinese eyes.
 10 | Port of Hamburg Magazine | June 2019
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