BERLIN – The European Union has been struggling to negotiate a four-year investment deal with China, facing opposition from some of its members and, increasingly, the United States. Finally, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed the project over the finish line last month, according to officials familiar with the talks.
Following the conclusion of the agreement on December 29, in a virtual meeting between EU leaders and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Ms Merkel held a separate video conference with Mr Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron to finalize the details of an agreement which he later described as a reality. emblematic of her last year in office.
For decades, the legacy of Germany’s Nazi past has prevented the country from holding strong international power. Instead, its foreign policy focused on cultivating good relations with allies and rivals alike to protect the exports on which its economy depended.
When Mr Merkel resigns later this year, few expect this to change, which could complicate President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to build a broad front to rival China. This is despite the election expected on Saturday for a new president of the Christian Democratic Union of Mrs Merkel, who could eventually take over as chancellor, with a candidate with significantly higher views than her.
Under President Trump, the US has avoided allies to engage directly with China to try to improve the terms of its economic relationship with the Asian giant. But now, just as Mr Biden is calling for a collective approach to China by Western democracies, the EU and Germany, after concluding their own bilateral agreement with Beijing, are unlikely to look back.