‘We’re Vulnerable’: Lawmakers Warn China Can Cripple German Industry Overnight | APT - video Dailymotion

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Germany China Relations: German lawmakers issued a stark warning in Berlin as the Bundestag voted to establish a new commission dedicated to reviewing security-relevant economic ties with China. MPs from CDU/CSU, SPD and the AfD backed the motion, citing Germany’s dramatic dependence on Chinese rare earths — critical materials that keep the country’s industries running.  AfD MP Dirk Brandes declared that “Beijing, not Germany” currently decides whether German supply chains continue to function, while CDU lawmakers urged Europe to stop acting like a “passenger” and strengthen resilience against strategic vulnerabilities.  With China producing over 90% of the world’s rare earth metals — and recently postponing export limits after talks with President Donald Trump — German lawmakers fear their industries are exposed to political pressure. The new commission will analyse dependencies, propose legislative action, and aim to strengthen Germany’s sovereignty “through its own strength.”  The debate saw sharp exchanges over reciprocity, market access, and whether creating a China-specific commission risks escalating already tense relations.  #chinagermany #germany #china #EU #apt

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00:00Germany, as you have also recognized, is dramatically dependent on critical raw materials.

00:06We need over 3,000 tons of rare earths every year.

00:11Two-thirds of this comes from China.

00:15Demand is growing faster than all the recycling volumes in the world combined, and countries

00:19like China have long been using export controls as a means of exerting power.

00:25Let's face reality.

00:27Today, it is not Germany but Beijing that decides whether our supply chains are running.

00:33Other nations are acting much more resolutely than Germany.

00:38Now the USA is investing billions in raw material storage and is also assuming state risks to

00:42secure raw materials.

00:47China recycles, China extracts, China stores and is years ahead in terms of processing

00:51technology.

00:56While other nations are securing all available energy sources, our paths are now diverging,

01:01Germany is blowing up cooling towers.

01:06Innovation is still being stifled by bureaucracy or, more than ever, by approval procedures.

01:11Until recently, you have not managed to set up your own functioning raw materials fund.

01:17Let me remind you of my opening statement.

01:20I want Germany to once again become a sovereign country guided by German interests.

01:26That is why we are calling for this in our motions, many of which you seem to agree with,

01:31Dr. Ludwig.

01:33We can discuss this.

01:35Europe, the EU is more of a passenger than a driver in some areas.

01:39Of course, we also need the appropriate European initiatives.

01:43The Critical Raw Materials Act was mentioned, but we also need further initiatives.

01:49It is always about greater resilience and greater sovereignty.

01:54Greater resilience also costs more money in the short term, but brings greater security

01:58in the long term.

01:59It is about clever political balancing and setting priorities.

02:05Politics is needed here and we are addressing precisely these challenges.

02:10Ladies and gentlemen, dear citizens, China has long since become an enormously important

02:14trading partner for Germany and, interestingly, according to the latest figures from October,

02:19its trade volume has even surpassed that of the USA.

02:23You could also say that it is the most important trading partner in terms of volume.

02:28Therefore, a withdrawal from the Chinese market would be disastrous in every respect.

02:35We need sustainable and friendly relations with China.

02:41On the other hand, as a sovereign trading nation, we must not allow ourselves to become dependent

02:45on any country in the world.

02:53Key technologies, critical raw materials and strategically important production facilities

02:58must not fall into the hands of foreign companies, including non-Chinese companies, which in turn

03:03pursue their national interests and not necessarily ours.

03:09Furthermore, we must clearly demand one principle in our relations with China, and this is also

03:15mentioned in your motion, the principle of reciprocity.

03:21Contracts, cooperation and investments may only take place if Germany is given equal access

03:27to markets, technologies and investment opportunities.

03:35Without this harmony, there is a real risk that German companies will be disadvantaged, while

03:39Chinese investors in turn will operate with privileged positions on domestic markets.

03:44The Chinese government does not do that.

03:58Why are we still so nice?

04:02Why don't we insist on equal rights, on mutual opening of markets for government contracts?

04:08That would be something you could also address immediately.

04:12is not a helpful signal.

04:18The CDU and SPD want to set up a commission to review the security-relevant economic relations

04:23between Germany and China and are raising legitimate questions.

04:28However, it is also a special commission for a single specific country, the likes of which

04:34has never existed before.

04:39Is that the right signal to send in an already tense situation?

04:44Dear colleagues, demand a lot from yourself and expect little from others.

04:48That will save you trouble.

04:51This quote from Confucius describes our challenge.

04:54We must be sovereign on the basis of our own strength in order not to be blackmailed.

05:01We need to know what we know and what we don't know so that we can eliminate our weaknesses.

05:07We must not be one-sidedly strategically dependent on raw materials, rare earths or microchips,

05:12because that makes us vulnerable.

05:14That is the starting point, as has already been described to you many times today.

05:19Our commission is entitled Sovereignty Through Our Own Strength and it will basically serve

05:23four goals.

05:25First, a clear analysis of where we are dependent.

05:29Secondly, it will make specific legislative and executive proposals.

05:34Thirdly, it will integrate this into a holistic approach and fourthly, it will also bring together

05:39various interests, including within the business community.

05:44That is why we have such a diverse committee on security-relevant economic relations between Germany

05:49and China.

05:51Who will vote in favor of the motion?

05:53The CDU, CSU Parliamentary Group, the AFD Parliamentary Group and the SPD Parliamentary

05:57Group.

05:58Who will vote against it?

05:59The Alliance 90, the Greens Parliamentary Group and the Left Parliamentary Group will abstain.

06:06The motion is therefore adopted.

06:08I call.

06:09The

‘We’re Vulnerable’: Lawmakers Warn China Can Cripple German Industry Overnight | APT

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