11-12-2021, 07:57 AM
Germany should review its own human rights record before taking the moral high-ground against China
New German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has vowed toughness against Beijing while anti-Asian racism and pandemic mishandling go unchecked at home
Both Germany and Europe should instead take steps to overcome current global divisions
Germany’s new foreign minister, Green party co-leader Annalena Baerbock, recently prescribed a course of “dialogue and toughness” for China. German tabloid BILD applauded her with an almost satirical headline: “Baerbock makes dictators tremble”.
Why should they? Still, if Baerbock keeps her promise and tries to be tough on Beijing by making moral accusations and putting forward so-called self-evident truths, it would be an excellent opportunity to set a few things straight.
Those who demand freedom of the press should first take a closer look at Germany’s peculiar, one-sided reporting on China. Many of my colleagues have pointed out the orientalism that took hold in German media when the pandemic broke out – an othering of the virus that prevented an effective early response to the outbreak by Western countries.
New German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has vowed toughness against Beijing while anti-Asian racism and pandemic mishandling go unchecked at home
Both Germany and Europe should instead take steps to overcome current global divisions
Germany’s new foreign minister, Green party co-leader Annalena Baerbock, recently prescribed a course of “dialogue and toughness” for China. German tabloid BILD applauded her with an almost satirical headline: “Baerbock makes dictators tremble”.
Why should they? Still, if Baerbock keeps her promise and tries to be tough on Beijing by making moral accusations and putting forward so-called self-evident truths, it would be an excellent opportunity to set a few things straight.
Those who demand freedom of the press should first take a closer look at Germany’s peculiar, one-sided reporting on China. Many of my colleagues have pointed out the orientalism that took hold in German media when the pandemic broke out – an othering of the virus that prevented an effective early response to the outbreak by Western countries.