Analysis Of The German Green Party’s China Policy(2005-2022)

The Green Party is active in the world of party politics with their distinctive ideas,of which Germany’s Green Party is currently the most successful Green party in the world.Since it became the ruling party in 1998,the German Green Party(hereinafter referred to as the Greens)has held seats in the German parliament since then.Saw the completion of the German federal elections in 2021,and the Greens,which had a hardline attitude towards China during the election campaign,entered the new coalition government in power.The study of the Greens therefore has both theoretical and practical implications.This study observes and traces the evolution of the Greens’ China policy from 2005,when they left power,to 2022,when they are reelected in Germany-a total of 18 years-to examine what the main elements of their China policy are and to analyze and distil the core factors that influence policy making.The central theoretical basis of the study is the theory of party foreign policy.This study focuses on the traditional party politics in terms of the party’s own philosophy,but also on the influence of the party on the foreign policy-making process of the host country and region.The study shifts the focus from traditional domestic politics to the interaction of political parties internally and externally.Based on party-related theory and Germany’s own model of party politics,this study uses a AHP analysis method to build a meso-analytical framework.The focus is on the Greens’ policy towards China at three levels: party(within the Greens),nation(Germany)and internation(international organizations such as the EU and international conferences such as the Climate Conference).From these three levels,this study allows for a clear observation of the impact of their policies on China,as well as the processes of policy output and interaction with the environment at that level.Firstly,a brief history of the development of the Greens in Germany is presented,making it clear that the Greens started as a civil society organization with environmental protection as its initial topic and grew rapidly.As it gained experience in politics and even in government,its political philosophy became more scientific and refined.Although its policies are often wavering and offensive due to the “youth” of the party itself and the “youth” of its constituency,it is undeniable that it has grown rapidly in the time frame focused on in this study(2005-2022)and that it has become an unparalleled force in Germany,Europe and the world as a whole already have a party strength that cannot be underestimated.The analysis of the Greens’ policy towards China then begins at three levels: intraparty,national and international.The analysis of the Greens’ political philosophy leads to the conclusion that the Greens’ policy towards China at the internal level of the party is also based on an ecological choice.However,in terms of ideology,the Greens has in recent years been pro-US in its posture and therefore hardline towards China as a political tool to follow the US.Also note that the most recent characteristics of the Greens’ electorate are: a high proportion of women,middle class(especially civil servants and teachers)and at least high school education(this figure is at the top of the party rankings).This voter structure is the closest to that of the Liberal Democratic Party,which is one of the reasons why the Greens are willing to work with the LDP in the current governing coalition.The final presentation of its policy towards China is the result of a game-playing process,which is concretely seen at three levels in the analytical framework,in terms of intra-party factional differences,domestic political constraints and international identity construction.Finally,the study concludes with cautious optimism about the impact of the Greens on Sino-German and Sino-European relations.The study concludes that although the negative elements of the Greens’ policy towards China have been evident in recent years,their negative impact has been more limited for the following reasons.Firstly,given the close Sino-German & Euro economic ties,the Greens are not as tough on China as they are on Russia,but rather adopt a flexible model of “dialogue + attack”.Secondly,the Greens and China have many common points in terms of ecological civilization,environmental protection,energy transformation and other green development concepts.From the perspective of political party diplomacy and global governance,there are many topics that can be communicated and many areas that can boost cooperation.This study believes that the Greens,as the ruling party,will gradually move towards a pragmatic and scientific policy towards China.