The German Bundestag had a debate on the government’s new “China Strategy” yesterday, with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) reiterating her propaganda slogan that China was “partner and systemic rival.” Among speeches given by members of the parliamentary parties, the one by Petr Bystron (AfD) was the best. He said:
“Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted that you are here. Dear Mme. Baerbock, it’s good that you are here. Today we are talking about China. For you, that may seem hundreds of thousands of kilometers away. That is not the case. China is closer to us than some people think. It is only 7,000 km away and is closely linked to us in many ways.
“China is our most important trading partner, ahead of the U.S.A. Last year, goods worth €300 billion were traded between Germany and China. With a volume of €192 billion, China is the most important supplier country for German industry, and this secures over 1 million jobs for us in Germany.
“You may deny this—you also mentioned it: In the course of the Green allocation of responsibilities for the economy, the children’s book author Habeck is in your employ—but these good economic relations are the result of clever diplomacy and good diplomatic relations between former German governments and China. Walter Scheel and Helmut Schmidt laid the foundations on which Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schröder were later able to build on the good relations.
