On June 8, 2026, the Chinese language website of Germany's international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, published an article titled 'China Shock 2.0,' reporting that German industry is facing the crisis of being overtaken by China, its former 'apprentice'.

The article pointed out that while the German economy is deeply dependent on China's sales market and raw material supply, China has become a powerful competitor as a world-leading industrial powerhouse. Citing an analysis of customs data which showed that less than 1 kilogram of germanium and only a very small amount of gallium were exported from China to Germany in April, it reported that China is playing a power game by restricting the supply of key elements for advanced technology.

It also mentioned that while Germany's Economy and Energy Minister Raishe is calling for a fair competitive environment and securing raw materials, the German government is in a situation where it has no choice but to put the brakes on tough measures against China, fearing retaliation against its own companies.

It also cited the example of German chemical giant BASF building a huge factory worth 9 billion euros (approximately 1.66 trillion yen) in China, and analyzed that the expansion of German companies' investments is deepening their dependence on the Chinese government. It commented that China, through its 'Dual Circulation' strategy advocated by President Xi Jinping, which aims to develop with domestic demand and exports as twin engines, has succeeded in making the world dependent on Chinese products without relying on imports.

Meanwhile, it also reported that criticism has emerged from the United States, stating that 'German chemical companies are using Russian natural gas, which is unavailable in their own country, at their Chinese facilities'.

The article introduced the view of Professor Emeritus Vermeer of Göttingen University of Applied Sciences, an expert on Chinese affairs, who stated that regarding the current situation, China, which learned technology through joint ventures in the 1980s, has now far surpassed Germany in terms of both quality and price in fields such as automobiles, while Germany, due to its overconfidence, continued to disregard China's electrification strategy and other initiatives for 20 years, leading to the current reversal of fortunes.

The article conveyed the view of a researcher from the Centre for European Reform (CER), who stated that China has already finished most of German industry as 'lunch' and is now extending its reach to the advanced technology sector as 'dinner'. (Edited/Translated by Kawajiri)