German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s controversial plan to sell part of Hamburg’s port cargo terminal to China may not come to fruition after German authorities declared the port part of critical infrastructure, writes Politico.
Last year, Scholtz, despite the objections and concerns of party members, managed to get the Chinese state-owned company Cosco to be allowed to buy shares in the Tollerort terminal in the port of Hamburg. However, the classification of the port as critical infrastructure by Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security means that Berlin has to reassess the deal offered to the Chinese.
The new security rating is notable because even the staunchest
defenders of the port deal have said that China should not get access to the critical infrastructure.
The desire to encourage China to make investments is based on the idea that then Chinese carriers will prefer the specific ports. The acquisition of Tollerort is part of China’s plan to gain control of infrastructure important to its Belt and Road trade initiative.
Cosco already owns stakes in two of Europe’s largest ports: Antwerp and Rotterdam, the company controls the port of Piraeus in Athens, and is behind plans to expand the inland rail terminal in Duisburg, at the Ruhr’s mouth on the Rhine.
Berlin’s possible toughening of Beijing comes as Europe tries to deal with French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks that Europe should not follow the US and interfere in the China-US standoff over Taiwan. Although a German government spokesman declined to comment on Macron’s remarks, the Foreign Ministry has issued a demand for China to ease tensions with Taiwan and criticized Beijing’s latest military exercises near the island nation.