For the non-Germans here, an extremely quick rundown both of the article and a bit of national debate context: during the last 16 years under Merkel, the German industry saw China both as a destination market for their goods (cars, machinery) and a place for cheap manufacturing of goods without having to take care about European standards for labor and environmental protection. Human rights issues took a backseat and the government was always eager to lobby for the interests of German companies in China, culminating with Merkel lobbying for now-infamous Wirecard [1]. Sooner or later, other European countries followed.

The result is a fatal dependence of Germany on China in both directions because the Western markets are pretty much saturated and as a result of two decades of globalization and market (i.e. labor cost) pressure local or alternative supply chains have long since shuttered. Politicians have been even too scared to act on hacking campaigns attributable directly to the Chinese government out of the fear that the industry powerhouses would "randomly" lose contracts or face other punishments - the fate of the two Canadians was a warning sign [2].

Now, with the change in government at the end of last year to a more left-centrist oriented government and the associated demise of importance of heavy-industry stooges in top politics as well as ever more leaks about just how draconian the Chinese government acts (the numerous videos on how people had literally to endure their doors being welded shut or their pets being slaughtered on the street during covid, and now the latest leaks on Xinjiang) and the complete screw-up of delivery chains are all but forcing a complete re-evaluation of very difficult questions on all levels:

- How long can Germany, the perpetrator of the Holocaust, keep ignoring what happens in Xinjiang, with concentration camps, genocide and forced labor allegations while claiming to have learned "never again" from the 1933-45 era?

- When delivery chains are broken anyway and will be so for a foreseeable future due to China's failure to link a zero-covid policy with actually working vaccines, what is the difference in cost to re-build supply chains somewhere sane (e.g. Vietnam or back in Europe) now or later?

- Is it safe for companies to invest in China, when the Chinese government can destroy their business with the stroke of a pen?

- How long can Germany keep quiet on Chinese industrial espionage?

- What to do with the Chinese "buying spree" of companies with national security/sovereignty interests like Kuka?

- How to react to China strong-arming itself into power across Africa and even in Europe by debt usury?

- How to prepare the industry and the country for the not-so-uncertain scenario that China invades Taiwan and as a result, there will likely be a decade of chip shortage when TSMC gets destroyed?

[1] https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2021-04/angela-merke...

[2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58687071