The chancellor has just ended a long dispute over nuclear energy, and a new controversy has arisen in the federal government. It’s about future relations with China. The planned entry of Chinese businesses to the container terminal in Hamburg is a test for Olaf Scholz’s (SPD) office. Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) warned on Friday (October 21) against new reliance, as did politicians from the co-ruling FDP. Scholz said after the EU summit in Brussels that nothing had been resolved. “There are still many questions that need to be clarified,” the head of government said.

Scholz noted that the point is not to sell the port, but to share in the terminal, as is the case in some Western European ports. Scholz was previously the mayor of Hamburg.

Worries about being dependent on China

On the sidelines of the premier’s conference in Hanover, Habeck said the question of whether the sale could be partially approved was an “internal government action,” which he did not wish to comment on. an abstract phenomenon, “but as the example of Russian gas shows,” a reality in this world. “”We must not repeat this mistake,” said the Vice Chancellor.

The background to the dispute is a contract signed in 2021 between Hamburg port logistics operator HHLA and Chinese terminal operator Cosco Shipping Ports Limited over the transfer of a 35 percent stake in the Tollerort terminal in Hamburg owned by HHLA. Regulations on foreign trade allow the Ministry of Economy to deny investors from non-EU countries entering German companies that support, for example, critical infrastructure.

Contract almost valid?

According to information from public broadcasters NDR and WDR, other ministries, apart from the Ministry of the Economy, have also refused entry to the terminal by China. The Chancellor’s Office should not have put the oversight process on the cabinet’s agenda so far, but instead tasked the relevant ministries with finding a compromise that would allow the contract to happen. A decision on a deal with China in the German government may come soon. If the Federal Cabinet fails to pass any resolution or the deadline is not extended, the contract will automatically take effect, according to media reports. This could happen at the end of October. It is also possible that the entry of Chinese carriers will be subject to stringent conditions.

For China, port division is an important part of China’s Belt and Road (BRI) infrastructure initiative. Launched in 2013 by party leader Xi Jinping, it aims to create a trade corridor not only on land but also at sea – in other words it is a “Sea Silk Road” (MSR) with shares in many important ports along shipping routes to and from China.

The port is a means to build strength

According to unconfirmed media reports, Chinese investment worldwide is present in around 100 ports in about 60 countries. First of all, state-owned companies Cosco (China Ocean Shipping Company) and China Merchants Group were present, as well as Hong Kong private CK. Hutchinson is very active with close ties to China. Seven of the ten most important ports in the world are located in the Middle Kingdom.

From the point of view of military strategists, port control has always been one of the most important pillars of maritime power. In Europe, Chinese companies have stakes in more than a dozen ports, including Le Havre and Dunkirk in France, Antwerp and Bruges in Belgium, as well as in Spain, Italy, Turkey and Greece.

German intelligence services believe that the leadership in Beijing is using espionage and cyber activities to strengthen its presence in global markets. The president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, has long warned that “we must not allow ourselves to become addicted.” the possibility of sabotage is not open – he said last Monday at a parliamentary meeting of the Bundestag oversight body.

China divides politicians

FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr told the Rheinische Post: “I think it’s wrong that an authoritarian regime has an impact on our critical infrastructure.” This also applies to the port of Hamburg. According to politicians, one should not put everything on one card and become addicted. Green Party leader Omid Nouripour told Deutschlandfunk radio that possible participation in the terminal means that access to all information and documents will be required. He emphasized that the terminal serves all Chinese and Asian businesses at the port of Hamburg. This means that Chinese shareholders will also have influence over Taiwanese freighters.

Hamburg senator for finance Andreas Dressel (SPD) tweeted that this was not a “China SellOut” (sales to China). “Many self-proclaimed port experts from all over Germany have to stick to the facts,” he said. that the entry of Chinese companies into the terminal does not mean access to the port of Hamburg and HHLA itself, or access to strategic knowledge. Cosco will not have exclusive rights to the terminal. Therefore, there will be no one-sided rights of dependence, said HHLA. on the contrary, it strengthens supply chains, creates jobs and supports the German economy,” said a Hamburg company spokesperson.

dpa / August

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