The Germany government on Wednesday declared a new security strategy addressing security concerns in the shadow of the war in Ukraine and China's mounting global influence.
The strategy, mapped out after tiring negotiations among the three ruling parties, was declared by Prime Minister Chancellor Olaf Sholz at a news conference, stating that it takes into consideration internal and external threats on Germany's security in light of the "Russian war of aggression on Ukraine and China's mounting influence" on the global stage.
He indicated that some of the direct threats are related to cyber security, potential attacks on sensitive infrastructural facilities in the energy, water, power sectors in addition to climatic change repercussions that have become a real threat.
The strategy is a crucial contribution to safeguarding security of the German citizens amid a changing security environment, particularly "the Russian attack on Ukraine and the increasing influence of the Chinese government," he said.
The German government, Scholz said, would carry out the new strategy on the basis of a wide scale perspective, unlike previous security plans that solely focused on defense issues.
Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister, said at the same news conference that Berlin's strategy partly aims at laying new frameworks for the relations with China, "the partner," and changing its attitudes that have turned increasingly opposed to German and European interests.
The strategy identifies China as a "partner, competitor and systematic adversary," thus the need emerged for altering the foreign strategy vis a vis Beijing, she said, stressing that Berlin would not seek to dissociate itself from China and hinting that the European nation according to the new approach would seek to cut dependence on the Chinese with respect of trade and raw materials.
Source: Kuwait News Agency