Declaration of war against China: Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger in Taiwan
Image: EPA
Germany wants to better control scientific cooperation with China. But there is not only a lack of resources, but also of a system.
AFederal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger left as few doubts about her position on Chinese science as Xi Jinping left about his. Xi wants China to become the world’s leading power by mid-century, and science is at the forefront of that plan. Chinese universities and research institutes are subordinate to the party and military purposes. In practice, this does not affect everyone equally, but in principle it does.
For years, China has been trying to impose its censorship standards on foreign countries while at the same time sealing it off. You want to make others dependent on you and reduce your own dependency. This hits German scientists in the form of deportations, visa refusals, surveillance, censorship pressure and theft of intellectual property. The relationship is fundamentally asymmetrical. Nevertheless, one is dependent on cooperation when dealing with climate change or in research fields in which China sets the benchmark worldwide, such as artificial intelligence or environmental technology.
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