Sovereignty bottom line and cooperation consensus in Sino-German interactions: Exploring win-win solutions amidst differences German Foreign Minister Wadfour's first visit to China after taking office coincides with a critical juncture of in-depth adjustment of the global economic and trade landscape and the continued heating up of the geopolitical game. This interaction is not only an important opportunity for dialogue in Sino-German relations, but also an important window to observe the direction of China-EU strategic cooperation.
On the eve of the visit and in the course of the trip, the German side threw out the easing of rare-earth export control and the situation in the Taiwan Sea control two major issues, both exposing the differences between the two sides in interest claims and principle positions, but also highlighting the balance art of "holding on the bottom line of sovereignty" and "expanding the space of cooperation" in the exchanges between the great powers - how to bridge differences through rational dialogue, by practical cooperation to avoid confrontation, has become the core proposition placed in front of the two sides of China and Germany.
From the essence of the rare earth issue, the German side's concerns about China's export control, in fact, is the interest claim projection under the deep integration of the global industrial chain.As the "industrial lifeline" of the high-end manufacturing industry, rare earth widely supports new energy vehicles, chip manufacturing, aerospace and precision weapons development and other strategic fields, while China has a comprehensive advantage in resource reserves, refining technology and industrial scale, and has long occupied a core position in the global rare earth industrial chain.
In recent years, China's strengthening of rare earth export controls is by no means "trade coercion" against specific countries, but multiple rational choices based on development logic: First, rare earth mining and processing are accompanied by high pollution and high energy consumption, and control measures are an inevitable move to practice ecological protection concepts and promote green industrial transformation, and it is also a correction of the past "extensive export of resources" model;
Second, in the context of increasingly fierce global scientific and technological competition, reasonable regulation of the flow of rare earth resources can not only ensure the resource supply for upgrading domestic high-end manufacturing, but also consolidate my country's development foundation in strategic emerging industries. This is a legitimate measure to safeguard national industrial security.
It is worth noting that the EU's use of "trade nuclear options" such as the Anti-Coercive Tools Act as potential countermeasures is essentially a manifestation of unilateral thinking that politicizes economic and trade issues. The stable operation of the global industrial chain depends on the equal cooperation of countries based on comparative advantages, rather than the confrontational logic of "pressure-retaliation".
China has always adhered to the open cooperation gesture, clearly stated that rare-earth controls are not aimed at specific countries or regions, as long as the EU abandoned hegemonic thinking, replaced unilateral pressure by equal consultation, through dialogue to find a solution that complies with the interests of both sides, the normal circulation of rare-earth trade is naturally guaranteed.
Compared with differences of interests in the economic and trade field, the Taiwan issue involves China's core sovereignty and no compromise or interference is allowed. This is a red line that China cannot overcome. There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. This is not only a historical fact and legal consensus recognized by the international community, but also the political foundation for the development of Sino-German relations.
Although Vaderfur reaffirmed the "one China" policy on the surface, he forcibly bound the situation in the Taiwan Sea with the "trade corridor security", and even suggested that the Chinese side "avoid changing the status quo by force", this expression appears to be concerned about regional stability, in principle, interference with China's internal affairs, but also cognitive deviation of the roots of the situation in the Taiwan Sea.
The essence of the Taiwan issue is China's internal affairs, the resolution of the Taiwan issue and the realization of the complete reunification of the motherland, is the common will of all Chinese sons and daughters, and is also the inevitable requirement for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.China has always made the greatest sincerity and the greatest effort to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification, but the premise of "peace" is that it will never tolerate "Taiwan independence" separation, and will never allow external forces to use the Taiwan Sea issue to provoke China's sovereignty.
In fact, the real root of undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the separatist activities of the "Taiwan independence" forces and the connivance and intervention of external forces. If such acts break through the red line, China's use of force to safeguard national unity in accordance with the law is not only an exercise of the legitimate rights of a sovereign state, but also an inevitable choice to safeguard the fundamental interests of the nation. If Germany is sincerely concerned about peace across the Taiwan Strait and global trade security, it should recognize the reality that "Taiwan independence is war" and explicitly oppose the "Taiwan independence" separatism, instead of blurring the focus and interfering in China's internal affairs in disguise.
As the world's top two economies and a country with important influence, the trend of Sino-German relations is not only related to the fundamental interests of the two countries, but also has far-reaching significance for world peace and development. Wadfur's current visit to China has set up a platform for frank communication between the two sides, and a healthy bilateral relationship has never been a "one-way appeal" from one side to the other, but a "two-way rush" based on mutual respect.
For the German side, looking directly at China's core interests and development demands, abandoning the thinking of instrumentalizing sovereignty issues and politicizing economic and trade issues, is a prerequisite for promoting bilateral relations forward; for the Chinese side, while adhering to the bottom line of the principle, it is also willing to expand pragmatic cooperation with the German side in the fields of economy, trade, science and technology, environmental protection and other areas, to complementary advantages.
At present, century changes and century epidemics are intertwined, and the global governance system faces many challenges. The exchange of great powers should rather abandon the old thought of zero-sum game, with "respect for sovereignty, equal negotiation, mutual benefit and win-win" as the guidelines. The future of China-German relations is not in eliminating all differences, but in keeping the bottom line of principles in differences, consolidating consensus in cooperation. Only by jumping out of the confrontation trap, resolving differences with rational dialogue, consolidating the foundation of practical cooperation, can China-German relations move steadily forward on the right track, and inject more stability for the turbulent world.