Germany should urge China to respect the privacy of business information in its new anti-espionage laws, the VDA, the powerful association of German carmakers, said in a document seen by Reuters.

On Monday, the VDA is due to publish an 8-page document on China, the world’s largest car market, in response to a new doctrine published in July by Olaf Scholz’s government on its strategic vision for relations with China.

Among other things, the new strategy contains several proposals to reduce the critical dependence on China, a position previously agreed in the European Union.

In a document to be published in response, the VDA, the association representing carmakers such as BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, welcomed the fact that the Scholz government had abandoned “separation” from China in favor of a strategy of strategic dependence. an option that some Western analysts call “de-risking”.

But Germany’s major automakers have also warned against government interference in business decisions, saying it should instead support diversification strategies.

German automakers are calling for investment protectionism to be avoided

The VDA also notes that the doctrine adopted by Scholz’s government allows for the free exchange of data between China and Germany, but the 64-page document presented by the German executive makes no reference to the new cyber security laws adopted by Beijing. or its new anti-espionage legislation, which prohibits the transfer outside the country of any information related to “national security.”

“We believe that the government has an obligation to campaign in Beijing for business data privacy, talk about the impact of the law and find a solution together,” the VDA urges.

The association also notes that any reform of German law to better protect the country’s critical infrastructure should avoid directly blaming some countries for security threats.

“Germany should not send a signal of increased investment protectionism,” the VDA also writes.

At the regional level, the VDA is asking the European Commission to respect economic freedom in a context in which the executive in Brussels is preparing a tool to check foreign investments made in the EU bloc.

“State intervention should only take place as a last resort in exceptional cases where serious threats to safety can be proven,” the association of German car manufacturers notes in this regard.