Relationship dossier
Germany
People's Republic of China
Relationship assessment
Sustained governmental and economic engagement amid growing strategic and political disagreements
Germany toward People's Republic of China
+15Germany has maintained a comprehensive strategic partnership and regular intergovernmental consultations with China. Its government continues bilateral dialogue and economic engagement while adopting a China strategy that emphasizes reducing strategic dependencies and addressing concerns about security, human rights and market conditions.
People's Republic of China toward Germany
+15China has pursued regular high-level governmental consultations and a comprehensive strategic partnership with Germany, alongside extensive economic engagement. In 2021, China imposed sanctions on several European individuals and entities, including German representatives, amid disputes over Xinjiang-related measures.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship has a durable structure of high-level consultation and substantial economic engagement, but it is not an unqualified partnership. Persistent disagreements over human rights, market access and security have become more consequential, and Germany’s effort to reduce strategic dependencies reflects a more cautious approach.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Germany and China maintain extensive governmental and economic engagement, including a comprehensive strategic partnership and regular intergovernmental consultations. Cooperation is tempered by disputes over human rights, market access, security and technology, and Taiwan. Germany’s policy has increasingly emphasized reducing strategic dependencies while retaining dialogue and trade.
Areas of tension
- Human rights concerns, including disagreements over Xinjiang
- Market access and economic practices
- Security and technology policy, including telecommunications infrastructure
- Taiwan and regional security
Key developments
Germany and China upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Xi Jinping’s visit to Germany.
China imposed sanctions on European individuals and entities, including German representatives, amid disputes over Xinjiang-related measures.
The German federal government adopted its China strategy, emphasizing both engagement and reducing strategic dependencies.
Major uncertainties
- The future scope and practical effects of Germany’s de-risking policy toward China remain uncertain.
- The extent to which bilateral consultations will resolve disagreements over market access and security is unclear.