China: Keeping Fingers Crossed for Angela

Beijing would vote for Angela Merkel in Germany’s upcoming general elections.
To be sure, Chinese policymakers tell this author, do not have an opinion on who should be winning Germany’s elections as China is not ‘interfering’ in other countries’ internal affairs. China, the official line goes, is ‘flexible’ and will continue business as usual policies, regardless of whether the German electorate votes the centre-right government out of or a centre-left government led by the Social-Democratic Party (SPD) into office. Unofficially, however, Chinese policymakers are very aware that a centre-left government with the Green Party as the SPD’s coalition partner led by Merkel’s challenger Peer Steinbrück could mean a return of human rights, the rule of law and Tibet onto Germany’s China agenda.

While Germany’s Green Party is interested in human rights in general and in China in particular, human rights and other issues constituting ‘interference’ in Chinese internal affairs, are on the very bottom of China’s German policy agenda. In fact, these issues are not on Beijing’s agenda at all and whoever will govern Germany in a few days will be asked to keep it that way.

ISPI: Commentary: China: Keeping Fingers Crossed for Angela [PDF] http://www.ispionline.it/sites/default/files/pubblicazioni/commentary_berkofsky_16.09.2013.pdf

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