After the end of World War II, the German mainland was occupied by the forces of the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain and France. In 1949, as the Cold War continued to heat up, the Soviet occupied area established the German Democratic Republic, and the American, British and French occupied areas established the Federal Republic of Germany.
China and Germany also have diplomatic relations, but the time of establishment of diplomatic relations is more than 20 years apart. On October 27, 1949, China and the Democratic Germany established diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level. But it was not until October 1972 that Federal Germany established diplomatic relations with China at ambassadorial level.
Why did China establish diplomatic relations with the Democratic Germany just after the founding of New China? But it wasn't until more than 20 years later, in 1972, that federal Germany established diplomatic relations with China?
The smooth establishment of diplomatic relations between GDR and China
The GDR was a Soviet bloc country. China and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations on October 2, 1949, and the Democratic Germany inevitably followed the Soviet Union and established diplomatic relations with China in October 1949.
The relationship between China and the GDR was in fact a microcosm of the relationship between China and the Soviet Union. In the early days of the People's Republic of China, China's diplomacy was one-sided. On October 1, 1949, new China held a grand founding ceremony 39bet-xsmb-xổ số tây ninh-xổ số binh phước-xổ số binh dương-xổ số đồng nai. But the day after the military parade, the Soviet Union broke off diplomatic relations with the nationalist government in Guangzhou and announced its recognition of the new China.
Soviet union is the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the first wave of China's diplomacy, as the Soviet union and China established diplomatic relations, the socialist countries in eastern Europe, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, such as eastern Europe, Asia, north Korea, Mongolia and the Soviet union, such as a good relationship of diplomatic relations between the countries and China. The GDR had Soviet troops inside it, and its foreign and domestic affairs were controlled by the Soviet Union. It was only natural that China and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations, and that the Democratic Germany and China established diplomatic relations in October 1949.
By the 1950s, the GDR had provided considerable assistance to China's industrial development. That's another story.
The tortuous diplomatic relations between Federal Germany and China
On the whole, the establishment of diplomatic relations between Federal Germany and China is more than 20 years later than that between Democratic Germany and China. There are different periods and different reasons.
First, during the period from 1950 to 1953, China fought against the United States and aided Korea, while Germany, as an ally of the United States, did not send troops to participate in the Korean War.
Although trade between China and West Germany reached $19.42 million in 1950, surpassing that of Poland and East Germany, Federal Germany and China were ideologically diametrically opposed, and the pressure exerted by the United States on West Germany made it impossible for China and West Germany to establish diplomatic relations.
Second, in 1955, China's economy fully recovered.
China's total industrial output in 1955 was four times that of 1949. On international affairs, China took an active part in the Geneva and Bandung Conferences and made every effort to resolve the Korean and Indochina issues. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence advocated by China have been welcomed by many third world countries, and China has ushered in the climax of the second diplomatic establishment.
At the same time, federal Germany also achieved a breakthrough in foreign affairs and domestic affairs. In 1955, Federal Germany regained full national sovereignty and rearmed to join NATO. This marked that federal Germany changed from an "occupying power" of the United States into a completely independent sovereign state in the sense of national law, and obtained the same international political status as Britain, France, Belgium and other Western European countries. In 1955, West Germany was willing to restore diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. The United States and the Soviet Union were completely hostile at that time. West Germany was willing to establish diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, indicating that West Germany had emerged some independent diplomatic consciousness.
It was in the context of China's rising international status, West Germany's restoration of full sovereignty and the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union that China showed part of its goodwill towards West Germany. These practices include:
In April 1955, China declared an end to its state of war with West Germany.
From June to October 1955, the Chinese Embassy in the Democratic Republic of Germany sent back six reports on West Germany's attitude towards China.
In September 1955, the Chinese staff in the GDR sent a reply to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, pointing out that the West German government would make a statement to China on bilateral relations at an appropriate time.
In September 1955, People's Daily highly praised the establishment of diplomatic relations between West Germany and the Soviet Union, and believed that the time had come for the establishment of diplomatic relations between West Germany and China.
In December 1955, the Chancellor of the Democratic Germany visited China, and the joint statement of the Democratic Germany and China pointed out that the Democratic Germany welcomed the normalization of relations between China and West Germany.
Through the above things, we can see that China has made a series of positive moves towards the establishment of diplomatic relations between West Germany and China. But West Germany's interest in China remained economic. Trade between West Germany and China was greatly affected by the economic blockade imposed by the United States during the Korean War. West Germany hoped that the United States would give up its trade discrimination against China and give West Germany the opportunity to establish trade relations with China. By 1954, trade between West Germany and China had reached levels last seen before the outbreak of the Korean War.
Why is West Germany not impressed by China's diplomatic initiative? The reasons are as follows:
1. At that time, West Germany was still politically following the direction of the United States. Due to the hostile attitude of the United States towards China, West Germany could only communicate with China at the economic level and did not dare to cross the "red line" of the United States in diplomacy.
2. The Adenauer government of federal Germany in 1955 focused on restoring West Germany's international status and developing its domestic economy. Diplomatically, Adenauer's government focused on diplomatic relations with the United States and other countries in Western Europe, such as France, Belgium, Luxembourg and other countries. Adenauer's government hoped to establish full diplomatic relations with European countries, end the occupation of West Germany as soon as possible, and make West Germany a real equal member among Western European countries.
Due to West Germany's diplomatic focus on Europe and ideological opposition to China along with the United States, China's diplomatic efforts towards West Germany ended in failure in 1955. The two countries have made only modest progress in economic and trade exchanges.
Third, in the 1960s, as the storm of Sino-French diplomatic relations affected Europe, West Germany and China made further attempts to establish diplomatic relations.
In the 1960s, China's diplomacy focused on opening its doors to European countries and the Third World. In the early 1960s, China and France held negotiations on the establishment of diplomatic relations. In January 1964, China and France formally established diplomatic relations. The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France had a great influence on West Germany.
The answer can be found in a 1963 speech by West German Foreign Minister Gerhard Schroeder. After the West German President returned home from his visit to Asia, the West German Foreign Minister Gerhard Schroeder said that the new West German government intends to adjust its Asian policy, especially considering relations with China. In the 1960s, Sino-Soviet relations had a rift, and the relationship between China and East Germany was not stable. The move of West Germany seemed to attract China.
China believes that West Germany belongs to the "second middle zone" of the "two middle zones", which is of great significance for China and Western European countries to improve their relations. Since China and France have established diplomatic relations, there are some possibilities for China and West Germany to establish diplomatic relations. The two countries conducted negotiations with economic and trade negotiations as the starting point. But China and West Germany were at odds over the Berlin terms.
In May, July, October and November 1964, China and West Germany held four rounds of negotiations. In the first round of negotiations, West Germany said it refused to sign an official trade agreement with China, which led to the second round of negotiations being inconclusive. In the third round, China signaled its desire to sign an official trade agreement, but also reiterated its position on the Berlin treaty. The talks between the two countries eased up. But in the fourth round of negotiations, the negotiations between West Germany and China did not progress.
A deeper look at the relationship between China and West Germany in the 1960s shows that China was more willing than West Germany to establish diplomatic relations. During this period, China had a rift with the Soviet Union and cold relations with India. This will require a major diplomatic breakthrough by China.
With the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, China's diplomatic breakthrough in the Western European powers has a certain possibility. Civil society organizations in many Western European countries have expressed their willingness to maintain contacts with China. This can be seen from the third round of negotiations between China and West Germany in October 1964, when the Chinese representative took the initiative to express his desire to sign an official trade agreement with West Germany. This is also a goodwill signal from China to West Germany.
However, West Germany's diplomacy during this period was still dominated by the United States. While France's diplomacy was independent, West Germany could not boldly go out and get rid of the shackles of the superpower to negotiate with China. In addition, the East European Democratic Germany and other countries could not ease the relationship with West Germany, and West Germany still had certain ideological hostility to China. This is in sharp contrast to France, which has boldly established diplomatic relations with China, putting national interests ahead of ideological interests.
Fourth, in 1969, Brandt became West Germany's fourth chancellor.
Chancellor Brandt broke the previous West German chancellor's policy of distinguishing diplomatic "friends and enemies" by ideology, and adopted a more pragmatic policy to deal with West German foreign affairs.
Brandt was a far-sighted chancellor in West German history. When he was foreign minister, West Germany established diplomatic relations with Eastern European countries such as Romania and Yugoslavia, and signed trade agreements with Poland and Czechoslovakia. In 1971, Brandt made his first visit to the Soviet Union as West German chancellor to sign a friendship treaty between West Germany and the Soviet Union. And signed a border non-aggression pact with Poland. The pragmatic foreign policy of the Brandt government, which did not distinguish enemies and friends by ideology, made it more possible for West Germany to negotiate and implement diplomatic relations with China.
Look at China, by 1971, with China's entry into the United Nations. And in 1972, Nixon visited China and established diplomatic relations with Japan, ushering in the third high tide of diplomatic relations between China and West Germany, which made it possible for China to establish diplomatic relations with West Germany.
In August 1972, the Chinese representative and the West German side held negotiations in the former West German Foreign Ministry. During this period, the Chinese Foreign Ministry instructed the Chinese Embassy in the Democratic Republic of Germany (GDR) that negotiations between West Germany and China concerning Berlin could be separated from negotiations on diplomatic relations. This means that China believes that the Berlin issue is not a matter of principle that hinders negotiations between West Germany and China.
After repeated negotiations between China and West Germany, Foreign Minister Schell of West Germany came to China in October 1972. On October 11, 1972, Chinese Foreign Minister Ji Pengfei and West German Foreign Minister Scher signed a communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations. After more than 20 years of long waiting and difficult negotiations, the two countries finally established diplomatic relations.