Chancellor Angela Merkel receives German carnival societies at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, January 22, 2020. Reuters/Annegret Hilse
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged the European Union to be smart in balancing security interests raised by Washington with economic opportunities provided by China as Brussels establishes regulations for the next generation wireless network.
”The bigger economic might of the United States of America can of course set certain standards,” she told the World Economic Forum in Davos. "That’s why we as Europeans must decide smartly, how we want to deal with Chinese offers in the age of digitalization.”
In the twilight of her political career, Merkel has been preoccupied with the breakdown of multilateralism and the post-World War II order that helped ensure stability and prosperity in Europe. She has sought to balance opposing economic and trade interests from its traditional U.S. ally on the one hand and Russia and China on the other.
Washington has been pressuring Merkel to abandon construction of a gas pipeline to Russia and to ban Chinese Huawei Technologies Co. from its fifth-generation network.
While Germany was closer to the U.S. economic model, it shouldn’t close itself to opportunities provided by Chinese wealth creation, Merkel said on Thursday.
Europe should find an intelligent way to continue its partnership with the United States, while not shying away from its own economic decisions.
