Germany’s Soft Balancing towards China

• In Event: China and Its Neighbors

Abstract

With China and the United States engaging in intense security competition with one another, the liberal international order is over, tensions in the Indo-Pacific region are rising, and Germany is developing a new strategy towards China. Although many other countries face the same challenge, Germany’s strategy is relevant not only for Germany, but also for other countries: in 2023 the German economy was the third-biggest in the world, and Germany is the most influential country of the European Union, which means it has the potential to influence the global balance of power.
I argue that, even though Germany sees China as a threat to its interests, it is following “only” a strategy of soft balancing against China. With this concept in mind, we are able to better understand the essence of the China strategy Germany has designed and followed since 2020.
This article contributes to the literature in two ways. Firstly, it demonstrate the usefulness of the concept of ‘soft balancing’ for research on secondary powers’ foreign policy in the face of great power competition. Secondly, it contributes to the literature on the evolution of Germany’s foreign policy since the end of the unipolar world order.

Author

• Rafal Ulatowski, University of Warsaw