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Survey finds growing German hawkishness toward China as jobs fall

A poll by the European Council on Foreign Relations shows 49% of Germans view China as a rival or adversary, while Germany has lost about 420,000 manufacturing jobs since 2019.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Trade & Tariffs

SCMP Economy reports a new survey finds Germans are among Europe’s most hawkish voters on China, with respondents more likely to describe Beijing as a rival or an adversary than in any other major EU country surveyed.

According to the poll, 49% of Germans said China is primarily a rival or an adversary, compared with 43% in France, and only 38% of Germans view China positively as a partner or ally.

The findings arrive amid debate in Berlin over whether Germany should back a tougher EU approach to China on trade, with the report noting that “the China shock” has hit Germany’s manufacturing sector particularly hard.

The European Council on Foreign Relations report cited by SCMP Economy says Germany’s manufacturing sector lost around 420,000 jobs between 2019 and 2025 and continues to shed about 10,000 jobs each month.

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