Translated:

German managers are calling for a closer partnership with China. The country has long been a technological leader. But despite Trump, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) wants to strengthen the transatlantic alliance. What now?

Three dozen German companies in China have jointly developed a catalog of recommendations for the Merz cabinet. They want to change the federal government’s geopolitical orientation. China should once again be seen more as a partner, not as an adversary. The managers see the international upheaval caused by Donald Trump’s trade policy as a perfect opportunity for a change of course. “More commitment, not less” in China is necessary “to remain economically relevant,” states the document, which has been obtained by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Among the signatories are representatives of DAX-listed companies and medium-sized businesses. No one wants to be publicly associated with the document. The fear of being labeled a naive friend of China is too great. In English, the term “panda hugger” has become established, referring to a close embrace with the most popular animal of the People’s Republic and thus of the Communist Party.

The companies’ initiative is unlikely to go down well in Berlin. As different as CDU leader Friedrich Merz and SPD leader Lars Klingbeil are, neither will let the transatlantic partnership go down well. Merz led the Atlantik-Brücke, an association for fostering relations between Germany and the US, for ten years. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil is a member and has lived in the United States for a time. In the coalition agreement, the CDU/CSU and SPD aim to expand transatlantic relations in several areas. The coalition partners even consider a free trade agreement a possibility. With regard to China, however, “de-risking” is to be continued, including with an expert commission that will issue annual recommendations for further reducing dependencies.

Unfortunately for them, the German state is so cucked that they’ll rather become more and more irrelevant while US’ boots rather than do business with China on an equal footing.