Germans emerge as Europe’s biggest China hawks as economic pain begins to bite

Just 38 per cent of Germans see China in positive terms, either as a partner or ally. By contrast, 65 per cent of Spaniards and 62 per cent of Bulgarians view Beijing in such glowing terms. Germany is by far China’s biggest trade and investment partner in Europe. But the European power is enduring a broad-based manufacturing slowdown, with economists suggesting that China’s industrial rise is a major contributing factor. Economists say China’s industrial rise is contributing to Germany’s manufacturing slowdown.