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Germany warns of spying ‘risks’ with some China students

Germany's education minister on Saturday called for a revision of student exchange practices with China, citing an increased risk of scientific espionage posed by Chinese students who come to study in Germany on full state scholarships.

Germany warns of spying 'risks' with some China students
German Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger speaks in January in Stuttgart, southern Germany. Photo: THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP.

Germany’s education minister on Saturday called for a revision of student exchange practices with China, citing an increased risk of scientific espionage posed by Chinese students who come to
study in Germany on full state scholarships.

“China is becoming more and more competitive and is a systemic rival in the domain of science and research,” Bettina Stark-Watzinger said in an interview published on Saturday by the Mediengruppe Bayern.

The minister hailed a decision by the Friedrich-Alexander University (FAU) in Bavaria, which regularly partners with German industry in research projects, to no longer accept China students whose sole financing comes from the China Scholarship Council (CSC), which is a state institution.

According to recent reports published in Deutsche Welle and the Correctiv investigative platform, recipients of these scholarships must sign a loyalty oath to the Chinese state or risk legal proceedings.

Stark-Watzinger hailed the German university for its decision, saying it was motivated by “the realisation that the freedom of opinion and scientific freedom anchored in German Basic Law cannot be fully exercised by the CSC scholarship recipients due to the conditions of their scholarships and there also exists an increased risk of scientific espionage”.

“The FAU decision should prompt other institutions to revisit the terms of their cooperation with the CSC,” she said.

In mid-July, Germany toughened its approach to China, publishing a 64-page strategy in response to a “more assertive” China, sparking ire from Beijing.

The document, covering security policy as well as economic and scientific cooperation, was the product of months of wrangling within the German government over its strategy toward China.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted Thursday that Berlin had “reacted to a China that has changed and become more assertive,” and that his government wanted to reduce economic reliance on Beijing in critical areas.

Beijing said the new approach would increase “man-made risks” and “exacerbate divisions” in the world.

Berlin’s harder line has sparked fears in German industry, which has grown increasingly dependent on China.

Corporate giants such as Volkswagen and Siemens have in recent months outlined growth strategies that rely heavily on the Chinese market.

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GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

Foreigners in Germany are waiting on tenterhooks for the introduction of the new dual nationality law on Thursday - but the centre-right CDU and CSU say they would overturn the reform if re-elected next year.

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

“The CDU and CSU will reverse this unsuccessful reform,” Alexander Throm (CDU), spokesperson on domestic policy for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, told DPA on Tuesday.

“Dual citizenship must remain the exception and be limited to countries that share our values.”

Throm also criticised the new citizenship law for reducing the amount of time foreigners need to live in the country before naturalising as Germans, describing the new residence requirements as “far too short”.

“After five or even three years, it is not yet possible to determine with certainty whether integration has been successful in the long term,” he stated.

“The recent caliphate demonstrations and the rampant Islamist extremism, often by people with German passports, must be a wake-up call for us all.”

READ ALSO: Which foreign residents are likely to become German after citizenship law change?

Despite vociferous opposition, the alliance between the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party (CSU) was powerless to stop the traffic-light coalition’s citizenship reform passing in both the Bundestag and Bundesrat earlier this year. 

The reform, which permits the holding of multiple passports, lowers residence requirements and removes language hurdles for certain groups, is set to come into force on June 27th. 

But with the CDU and CSU emerging as clear winners in the recent EU parliamentary elections and regularly landing on 30 percent or above in the polls, it’s possible that the party could be on course to re-enter government next year. 

In this situation, the centre-right parties have pledged to try and undo what senior CDU politicians have described as a “dangerous” reform.

“It is not unusual for successive governments to reverse decisions made by the previous government,” Andrea Lindholz, the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group said in a recent response to a question

“We will maintain our position on this and will continue to strive for a corresponding change.”

READ ALSO: What are citizenship offices around Germany doing to prepare for the new law?

Whether the CDU and CSU can secure enough votes at both state and federal elections to change the law in the future remains to be seen.

The parties may also have to compromise on their plans with any future coalition partner, such as the Greens, Social Democrats (SPD) or Free Democrats (FDP), all of whom support liberal immigration laws and the holding of multiple nationalities. 

‘Citizenship devaluation law’

The CDU and CSU parties, which form a centre-right alliance nicknamed the Union, have long been opposed to dual nationality in Germany.

During their years of governing in a so-called grand coalition with the centre-right Social Democrats (SPD), the parties had regularly made reforms of citizenship one of their red lines, citing the danger of hostile nations influencing Germany from within. 

In a recent parliamentary speech back in January, Throm had slammed the bill as a “citizenship devaluation law” and accused the government of trying to generate a new electorate to win votes.

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

In comments aimed primarily at Germany’s large Turkish diaspora, the CDU politician claimed that people who had lived in Germany for decades but not taken German citizenship had already chosen their old country over Germany.

The majority of Turks in Germany are also supporters of the authoritarian president Recep Erdogan, he argued.

Responding to the claims, FDP migration expert Ann-Veruschka Jurisch said the opposition was fuelling resentments against migrants by claiming the government was “squandering German citizenship”.

In fact, she argued, the reform has tightened up requirements by ensuring that people who claim benefits and cannot support themselves are unable to become German citizens.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about Germany’s citizenship law reform

In addition, the B1 language requirements have only been softened in a few exceptional cases, for example to honour the lifetime achievements of the guest worker generation who had few opportunities when they arrived, Jurisch said. 

If foreigners have committed crimes, the authorities will be able to investigate whether these involved racist or anti-Semitic motives before citizenship is granted, she added. 

With reporting by DPA

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