Interview with Rudolf Scharping by Volker Friedrich
The previous German Minister of Defense and Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) Mr. Rudolf Scharping spoke with Volker Friedrich about the current challenges of politics and business in view of the disruptions of the supply chain and the war in Ukraine. Since retiring from active politics, Mr. Scharping has founded his consulting company RSBK and is a respected expert on relations between Europe and China with a lot of experience from many assignments in public and private projects.
The 45-minute interview covered economics and politics, but also a historical perspective on China’s history, which is essential for understanding China’s current position and strategy.
“It always helps to look into China’s history and not just for the last 30 years, which is what many people are doing – China has a DNA that reflects the historical events that changed China’s course and helps to understand the China of today.”
– Rudolf Scharping
Mr. Scharping was a politician who served under Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in the late 1990s, but his statements today reflect the German appeasement policy of “Ostpolitik,” which was the basis for the unification of Germany in 1990. He says that at the end of the day, international cooperation with China and other countries must and will continue as supply chains are deeply interconnected. However, Germany must be actively embedded in a comprehensive European policy that should be based on values of universal human rights. But also, we must accept certain realities in a globalized world in which countries and political systems do not necessarily agree 100% with the concepts of the countries of the West.
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