Joe Kaeser: ‘We underestimated the impact of Belt and Road Initiative’

He hasn’t been Siemens CEO for four months – so Joe Kaeser can focus on his role as a thought leader for German business on Asian issues. Under his leadership, the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business (APA) recently advocated greater diversification of German activities in the region. In an interview with China.Table, he now warns: If the EU is not at the table when it comes to setting standards, German SMEs, in particular, will suffer. Meanwhile, the attempt to economically decouple the world’s regions runs counter to the requirements of digitalization. Finn Mayer-Kuckuk spoke with Joe Kaeser.