Disengagement from China could be expensive for Europe

The kick-off of the series of events "Global China Conversations" of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel) is dedicated to the question of "decoupling", the decoupling of supply structures between the regions of the world. A policy of greater independence for Germany and the EU has indeed won more and more friends in the course of the Corona crisis. However, proponents of economic unbundling overlook the costs of doing so, writes IfW President Gabriel Felbermayr in China.Table. After all, trade and exchange are efficient and create prosperity.

Last updated: 24. July 2025