'Uphold inclusive attitude,' China tells Germany over new security strategy

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) — China on Thursday urged Germany to "uphold an open and inclusive attitude" towards it, in a statement released in response to Berlin's new national security strategy.

"Over the past few decades, China-Germany relations have achieved considerable progress and fruitful outcomes based on mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit," said Wang Wenbin, spokesman of China's Foreign Ministry.

"Under the current complicated international situation, China, Germany, and other parties should uphold an open and inclusive attitude, carry out mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly promote world peace and development," Wang said, according to Chinese daily Global Times.

The German government's new national security strategy document, which was released on Wednesday, described China both as a partner and a systemic rival.

The document raised concerns over China's increasingly assertive foreign policy, and stressed that some of Beijing's actions have been counter to Western interests and values.

But it also underlined the importance of dialogue and cooperation with China on areas of common interest.

"We see that the elements of rivalry and competition have increased in recent years, but at the same time China remains a partner without whom many of the most pressing global challenges cannot be resolved," the German government said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday also advocated a "balanced" policy towards China, underscoring the importance of trade ties with the world's second-largest economy.

"It is clear that China will continue to grow economically, and China's international trade relations should not be hampered," he told a news conference in Berlin.

"We don't want decoupling, we want de-risking," he stressed, and said this perspective was reflected in the document.

In Beijing, Wang said China "has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and defender of the international order."

"Viewing and developing international relations from the perspective of competitors or even confrontation will only push the world into a whirlpool of division and confrontation," he added.