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Exclusive: German official quashed intelligence report on China's influence

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Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/AxiosA high-ranking German official suppressed a sensitive intelligence report in 2018 on China’s growing influence in Germany out of fear it would damage business ties with China, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Business interests have long shaped Germany’s relationship with China, to the detriment of human rights concerns and even national security.&nbsp;Details: The highly sensitive report, completed in 2018, examined the Chinese government’s attempts to influence every level of German government, society and business, according to two former U.S. intelligence officials.What they're saying: "As a matter of principle, the German government does not comment on matters concerning intelligence findings or activities of the intelligence services," a federal government spokesperson told Axios.The big picture: German policy toward China has traditionally been driven by economic factors.How it works: Those business interests have tended to discourage their home governments from policies seen as harmful to economic ties with China.The result: “There has been a lot of self-censorship in Germany with regard to China,” said Noah Barkin, an expert on Europe-China relations at the Rhodium Group. “Merkel’s approach has been to criticize China behind closed doors, rather than in public.”But things are starting to change in Germany and around Europe amid growing global scrutiny over China’s economic practices and human rights abuses.Between the lines: The 2018 report thus landed at a crucial time for Germany’s relationship with China — but before many powerful players were prepared to abandon their economics-first approach to the relationship.What to watch: Germany has often set the tone for the EU. As Berlin begins to become more hawkish on China, so may the EU.Views of China in many countries have become more negative, with unfavorable views spiking in the past year as survey respondents disapproved of China's coronavirus response, according to a new Pew Research Center .Why it matters: Beijing's global propaganda campaign earlier this year to for the pandemic seems to have failed. China has chosen a new class of 18 astronauts, another step along its methodical path to explore space in the coming decades.Why it matters: The nation has plans to build a new space station in orbit and eventually send people to the Moon, making some in the U.S. concerned about the geopolitical implications of China's space ambitions.A from the U.S. Department of Labor ranks China as the top country of origin for goods produced through forced labor.The big picture: China has long utilized prison labor, but new coerced labor schemes targeting Uighurs and other ethnic minorities now taint numerous industries in China.

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/AxiosA high-ranking German official suppressed a sensitive intelligence report in 2018 on China’s growing influence in Germany out of fear it would damage business ties with China, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Business interests have long shaped Germany’s relationship with China, to the detriment of human rights concerns and even national security.&nbsp;Details: The highly sensitive report, completed in 2018, examined the Chinese government’s attempts to influence every level of German government, society and business, according to two former U.S....

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Bethany is the China reporter at Axios. She is the author of the weekly Axios China newsletter, and she covers Beijing's influence and intentions.

https://www.axios.com/authors/baebrahimian

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian

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Exclusive: German official quashed intelligence report on China's influence

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