The latest geostrategic moves by the German chancellor, the social democrat Olaf Scholz, may lead

to a shift in Germany's international role

, with negative consequences for the interests of the country itself and the European Union.

Under the mandate of Angela Merkel, the member states found in Germany the motor partner of the community club, and its first ambassador to the rest of the world.

To the leader who guided the consensus of the European bloc, with his successes and also with his er

roars

However, the policies that Scholz is deploying both domestically - distancing himself from a common economic program, injecting millions of dollars in aid into homes and companies - and in the rest of the world are showing the most unilateral Germany in decades.

Scholz's visit to China is the penultimate example.

Certainly, China is Germany's main commercial link, and for this reason Merkel herself maintained ties with Xi Jinping, with a cautious relationship.

But now that Europe has stopped considering China a preferred partner to declare it a "systemic rival", the terms in which Scholz's trip has taken place are inappropriate.

The moment is very delicate

: Xi Jinping's autocracy has just been consolidated in a congress that has ratified his absolute powers and the Chinese president continues to support Vladimir Putin as an ally despite the war in Ukraine.

Scholz's trip -accompanied by the top brass of the German business community in search of more business- has caused a stir both inside and outside Germany.

Inside, the coalition partners have expressed various reluctance, putting on the table the reports on the repression of Muslims in Xinjiang published by the UN.

Yesterday Scholz referred to it indirectly in his appearance with Xi - without questions - limiting himself to saying that respect for human rights is universal, and that this "applies in particular to the rights of minorities."

But there is also the case of the port of Hamburg:

The foreign minister has imposed his decision to allow the Chinese shipping company Cosco to enter one of its terminals, despite the resistance of several ministries and the opposition, and the contrary opinion of important economists.

And the voices that warn of the risk of falling into an economic dependency that subjects Berlin to a future blackmail from Beijing, equivalent to what it now suffers on account of Russian energy, are getting louder.

The alarm goes off: is Scholz making the same mistake with Xi that Merkel made with her policy of appeasement towards Moscow?

And the voices that warn of the risk of falling into an economic dependency that subjects Berlin to a future blackmail from Beijing, equivalent to what it now suffers on account of Russian energy, are getting louder.

The alarm goes off: is Scholz making the same mistake with Xi that Merkel made with her policy of appeasement towards Moscow?

And the voices that warn of the risk of falling into an economic dependency that subjects Berlin to a future blackmail from Beijing, equivalent to what it now suffers on account of Russian energy, are getting louder.

The alarm goes off: is Scholz making the same mistake with Xi that Merkel made with her policy of appeasement towards Moscow?

At the European level, Scholz attending only sends an ambiguous message about the unity of Europe at a time when Brussels' tensions with Beijing demand unity and firmness.

If Germany is seen as pursuing its own interests with China, other countries will have little incentive to make sacrifices.

The EU and its members have to protect the common foundations that have brought about the greatest progress in history.

To continue reading for free

Sign inSign up

Or

subscribe to Premium

and you will have access to all the web content of El Mundo