German Chancellor Olaf Scholz came under fire from both allies and the opposition on Thursday over a reported plan for Chinese investment in the Port of Hamburg.
The deal, which public broadcasters NDR and WDR say is being promoted by Scholz, will allow Chinese shipping firm Cosco to acquire a major stake in a container terminal at the port.
There is reportedly a dispute between Scholz and several government ministries over the bid, amid concerns that it would give Cosco too much of an investment share in the port. Cosco, which is headquartered in Beijing, is already the Hamburg port’s biggest client.
NRD and WDR reported that all six ministeries involved in reviewing the investment deal have rejected the plans.
Green Party chair: ‘No understanding’ why Scholz backs deal
Several figures in the environmentalist Green and business-focused Free Democrat (FDP) parties, which are part of the German coalition government with Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), have slammed the deal.
Green Party Co-Chair Ricarda Lang said she has “no understanding” why Scholz would push forward with the deal, despite criticism from government ministries.
“The Chinese Communist Party must not have access to our country’s critical infrastructure,” FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai told German news agency dpa. “That would be mistake and a risk.”
Opposition CDU: ‘German ports do not belong in Chinese hands’
In the opposition, Jens Spahn of the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU) parliamentary group also criticized the stake as a “fatal mistake.”
“German ports do not belong in Chinese hands, especially since Europeans can’t take a stake in ports in China,” Spahn said.
Spahn most recently served as health minister under former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. During her nearly 16 years as chancellor between 2005 and 2021, Sino-German trade ties flourished, with Merkel often favoring engagement with Beijing rather than confrontation.
The current coalition government under Scholz, however, has seen some voices want to take a harder stance on Beijing. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, a member of the Green Party, has been particularly keen on calling out China on human rights issues such as the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
Source: DW