Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has criticised the incumbent government’s foreign policy, saying that if he was the head of state now, he would fight for "Europe’s achieving relative independence from the US foreign and economic policy”.
One of the Social Democrats (SPD) most influential members stated during a Handelsblatt event called "Master Plan 2030" in Berlin that Germany is interested in China and Russia as well.
"We also have other interests related to Russia”, said Schroeder, who is the chairman of Nord Stream’s supervisory board, operating the Russian-European gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea.
He pointed out that Russia is an important market for Germany but Berlin also needs to remain close to Moscow in its foreign policy.
"We cannot join bashing Russia, as the Americans expect us to do”, he said.
READ MORE: Merkel Snubbed US Demand to Send German Warships to Russia's Backyard – Report
He also criticised the US threat to limit sharing US intelligence information with Germany in the event Chinese companies are involved in building the 5G mobile network, referring to reports about the letter that the US Ambassador to Germany sent to the country’s Economy Ministry.
"This is such blatant Intimidation”, noted the SPD politician, saying the threat from Washington meant "Because you do not parry, we will not tell you”.
According to him, the US government expects out of purely economic reasons that Germany would join its side. Schroeder also suggested that Germany can only compete with major economies, like the USA and China, if it pulls Europe together and takes over leadership in the EU, as every European country is a dwarf in terms of economic power compared to the US and emerging China.
"And dwarfs are not always treated kindly, but put in the garden”, he concluded.