Scholz rebukes Wissing for going it alone in China
With an intent declaration for cross-border data transfer, Transport Minister Wissing returns from his China trip. However, it appears that the signature was not coordinated with the Federal Government. Chancellor Scholz feels bypassed and makes it clear.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized Transport Minister Volker Wissing over a China intent declaration for data exchange due to an unagreed-upon data transfer with China. "There's the principle that one agrees on things," Scholz stated in Brussels after the EU summit. "This didn't happen here. Our government has a China strategy, and we always act as a government based on our common principles." A spokesperson for Wissing declined to comment on the matter, referring to "government internal understandings."
Wissing signed an intent declaration on "Dialog for Cross-Border Data Traffic" with the Director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, Zhuang Rongwen, in Beijing on Wednesday. The ministry stated that this intent declaration was the next step following the April cooperation agreement with China on autonomous driving, signed in the presence of the Chancellor. The ministry did not provide further details on the intent declaration. According to "Handelsblatt," German automotive companies in China are expected to benefit significantly from the data transfer.
Government sources told the newspaper that both the Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, as well as the Federal Ministry of the Interior, had expressed strong concerns about the lack of coordination beforehand. SPD foreign policy spokesperson Michael Roth wrote on X, stating that "the uncoordinated, China strategy-contradicting actions of the Federal Transport Minister must have consequences." It's good that the Chancellor found clear words.
Criticism from all traffic light parties
The digital policy spokesperson for the SPD Bundestag faction, Jens Zimmermann, told "Handelsblatt" on Thursday that Wissing's "solo actions cause head-shaking not only in the parliament but also among our closest allies." Tobias Bachleitner, the chairman of the Digital Committee from the Greens, told the newspaper that the issue of data export regulations was "extremely important in itself." However, Wissing's solo actions were "neither appropriate for the matter nor in line with the complexity of German-Chinese relations."
Even within his own party, criticism came: "The negotiating mandate on the German side can only be sustainable and strong if it has broad bundespolitical backing for further talks," said the Vice-Fraktionsvorsitzende of the FDP, Gyde Jensen, to "Handelsblatt." Wissing stated on Wednesday that to utilize the potential of digitalization, it is important that data can flow as freely as possible. At the same time, the protection of privacy and security interests must be comprehensively considered. The intent declaration creates a "data political framework between the two countries."
The traffic light coalition, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, faced criticism over Transport Minister Volker Wissing's uncoordinated intent declaration for cross-border data transfer with China. This decision contradicted the government's earlier agreed-upon China strategy and principles. The Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, and the Federal Ministry of the Interior had all voiced concerns about the lack of coordination beforehand.
