Why the ‘China threat’ was barely mentioned in Germany’s latest state election
Baden-Wurttemberg’s car industry is facing steep job losses amid intense Chinese competition. But local candidates largely avoided blaming China
Yet despite the economic strain – and polls showing the economy was the top issue for local voters – China barely featured in campaigns during the run-up to Baden-Wurttemberg’s state election this past weekend.
Millions of voters went to the polls, with the centre-left Green Party narrowly finishing first ahead of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came third after making significant gains.
“The debate is much more on what can we actually change ourselves instead of blaming China, because many have accepted that China has just very competitive and good products,” said Bernhard Bartsch, a China expert at the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies.
“Politicians – especially at a regional level – cannot win much these days by pointing out how problems originate in China. People don’t want analysis, but solutions.”
Another reason for the lack of discussion of China in the state election is that policies towards Beijing are usually made at the national and European level, according to Bartsch.
Cem Ozdemir – the Green Party’s leader in Baden-Wurttemberg – said he would advocate for Brussels to require Chinese companies operating in Europe to source components locally and work with European partners.
Candidates may also have refrained from publicly criticising China because a tougher stance on Beijing could draw strong opposition from major companies in the state that still have high hopes for the Chinese market, according to Bartsch.