Episode 70: Germany and Systemic Competition with China and Russia—A Conversation with Johannes Vogel

On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AICGS President Jeff Rathke sits down with Johannes Vogel, Deputy Chairman of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the FDP’s Chief Whip in the German Bundestag, to discuss Germany’s policy toward China and Russia. Has Germany’s outlook of its relationship with China changed fundamentally, while Xi Jinping has secured an unprecedented third term as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government appears determined to expand China’s political and economic influence globally? As Chancellor Olaf Scholz prepares to embark on his first trip to Beijing, what are the most important issues for German policy? How can Germany address the risk of asymmetric economic dependency and national security while preserving its international economic engagement and maintaining its free market principles? And is the change in Berlin’s Russia policy in response to Putin’s invasion in Ukraine here to stay? Host Jeff Rathke, President, AICGS Guest Johannes Vogel, Deputy Chairman of the Free Democratic Party (FDP)