German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 19/227, pp.
29039-29040.
Herr President. Ladies and gentlemen.
The U.S.A.’s dominant position as a world power will be increasingly
challenged by China. This did not first begin with Donald Trump and it will
also not end with Joe Biden. The conflict resulting therefrom will be decided
on many levels. Obvious examples are the reciprocal economic sanctions and the
measuring of military power in the South China Sea. Not quite so obvious is the
instrumentalization of so-called civil societies so as to indirectly promote
unrest. This is nothing other than interference in the domestic affairs of a
country. And Hong Kong is an evident example of this.
First a look at the Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, with
whom our Foreign Minister let himself be photographed in common and who later
was quoted with the words, “We will not attain our goal with purely peaceful
protest.” He was for long built up by the U.S.A. as an icon. “Time” magazine
chose him as one of the most influential teenagers of 2014. The American media
firm Netflix placed him before a wide public in the production, “Teenager vs.
Superpower”. And in 2018, American presidential candidate Marco Rubio even
nominated him for a Nobel peace prize.
Let us look at Hong Kong civil society. It receives
significant sums from foreign countries. Here by far the greatest money donor
is again the United States, which alone between 2000 and 2015 has expended over
200 million dollars for the promotion of democracy in China. Already during the
so-called umbrella protests in the year 2014, the Chinese government criticized
this de-stabilizing interference in domestic affairs. And the internationally
regarded advisor of the American Defense Department, Dr. Michael Pillsbury,
conceded on American television that these accusations may not be entirely
false.
Yet not only in Hong Kong; with us here also will
transatlantic networks be built and politically well-meaning persons be
promoted. The aforementioned Marco Rubio has in the past year quite decisively
expedited the construction of an inter-parliamentary China alliance, the goal
of which is to coordinate the China policies of members in different countries,
presumably in the American interest. Among the members are names of politicians
who have signed the submitted motions. They are in part also members of other
networks like the Atlantic Bridge or the Young Leaders of the American Council
on Germany. The discussions thus do not take place in thin air. They are
elements of a growing Chinese-American conflict. What does this mean for us?
Christian Dürr (FDP): What is that for rubbish? That is ridiculous!
I therefore am of the strong conviction that we should not undermine the sovereignty of other countries, by which we de-stabilize them from within.
Christian Dürr (FDP): You take your orders from Moscow! That is ridiculous, what you are saying!
Second. We are concerned about the guarantee of an agreement
which was concluded between Great Britain and the People’s Republic of China in
1984. Not us, but the British have called for the acceptance of eventual
violations of this agreement. For that, they require no help from Germany.
Third. We should generally not let ourselves be hitched to the wagon of other powers which strive to involve Germany in their geo-political conflicts. That is quite clearly not in the interest of our country. Yet your motions go precisely in that direction. The AfD delegation will therefore not vote for them.
Christian Dürr (FDP): Anti-American! Super!
[trans: tem]
