Name? Angela Merkel
Westphalian identity? German
Age? 66
Why is she in the news? Sunday, Merkel visited Cornwall to attend the G7 meeting and yesterday she continued to Brussels for the NATO meeting. As the longest leader in office at both summits, she balanced the presence of Joe Biden who portrayed a newly emerging US leadership.
Why do we care? Because these were also Merkel’s last summits as Chancellor. With her leaving, both alliances are losing 16 years of experience. Maybe this is why she was such as strong front against the US President. Whether it was the tough stance on China or on Nord Stream 2, Merkel made sure to tilt the final communique in Germany’s favour.
Why should you care? Because Merkel balancing Biden’s approach towards China is either good or bad for us. A tougher stance could increase tensions and have real-life implications on our daily lives (thinking of trade wars). While a more dialogue-based approach might not be tough enough and allow China to win the “system race” that NATO and the G7 identified. However way you chose to see it, you will care 9/10.
Who else cares? The Chinese, Xi Jinping in particular. Soon after the two summits, Chinese embassies commented on the communique stating that NATO and the G7 should “stop slandering China, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop harming China’s interests.” Comments made towards Hongkong and the Uighurs in the Xinjiang region are a particularly touchy topic for Xi.
Any further comments? Merkel managed to preserve German interest on both fronts, China and Nord Stream 2. A direct confrontation with China would hurt German business interests abroad (China is Germany’s largest trading partner), and a dialogue-based approach is much more Merkel style. Furthermore, Merkel convinced Biden to no longer block the construction of Nord Stream 2. Lastly, she also put a halt to Biden’s efforts to wave Covid vaccine patents in order to protect the German company Biontech.
