Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's) are hit heavier by Covid visa regulations than by sanctions between the EU and China, says Christian Sommer, head of the German Centre in Shanghai. Sanctions are of no use, he says, and decoupling does not make sense. Despite all this, China is still dependent on the presence of foreign companies and their employees. But there is no point in forcing Europe to choose between China and the USA. The German Centre is a positive example of how government and business can work together, says Sommer in an interview with Frank Sieren.
Christian Sommer is the son of a notary's assistant and a master electrician from Kiel. Even after his first contact with China in the 1980s, it was not yet foreseeable that he would spend his life in the Middle Kingdom. Today, he is one of the best-connected figures among German SMEs in Shanghai.
