German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticised one of his ministers on Thursday for signing an agreement with China, apparently without the prior approval of the government, highlighting tensions within his coalition.
“The principle of deciding things together was not followed here,” Scholz late on Thursday night following the European summit in Brussels. “We have a strategy towards China, and we always operate as a government in line with our shared principles,” he added.
The controversy surrounds Volker Wissing, Minister for Transport and Digital Infrastructure and a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). Wissing signed a letter of intent related to data sharing on Wednesday in Beijing with Zhuang Rongwen, the head of the Chinese cybersecurity agency.
This letter was presented as a follow-up to a cooperation agreement with China on autonomous driving technology, finalised during the Chancellor’s visit to the country in April.
According to the Handelsblatt business newspaper, the Foreign, Interior and Economic ministries expressed annoyance at what they viewed as Wissing’s unauthorised action.
Chancellor Scholz’s public rebuttal further manifests the discord within the three-party coalition, comprising the Social Democrats, Liberals and Greens, that has been in power since late 2021.
Tensions are currently flaring over the 2025 budget, with the FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner calling for nearly €30 billion in savings, something that is adamantly rejected by the SPD and the Greens.
The poor performance of all three parties in the European elections this June has only served to exacerbate these tensions.
