BERLIN — After years of shaping its Asian strategy around China, Germany has made a sharp break and will focus instead on stronger partnerships with democracies in the region such as Japan and South Korea to promote the rule of law.
The shift comes as part of a rising sense of alarm throughout Europe about economic dependence on China and the country’s track record on human rights.
“We want to help shape [the future global order] so that it is based on rules and international cooperation, not on the law of the strong,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Sept. 2. “That is why we have intensified cooperation with those countries that share our democratic and liberal values.” Read more…..

Chart of the Day
Icarus TV
There is “reasonable doubt” among German firms in China that business will improve as the coronavirus continues to spread globally, says Jens Hildebrandt, executive director and board member from the German Chamber of Commerce in China.