Germany and China Unite Against America
Germany and China Unite Against America
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s first trip to China signals an abrupt change in the relationship between the two nations. He was greeted with full military honors, took a private tour of the Forbidden Palace, and was showered with accolades for two days before departing earlier today. Bild wrote that it was the biggest show of respect given to any Western leader since Donald Trump visited in 2017.
Under Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany and China developed a special relationship, with Merkel making more trips to China than to any other non-European leader. Xi Jinping accorded her special honors and gave indicators of a personal friendship, including inviting her to visit his hometown.
After that, the relationship between the two nations deteriorated:
- Cheap electric cars and other goods, subsidized by the Chinese government, have flooded the European market, hurting European manufacturers at a crucial time.
- China sided with Russia in its war on Ukraine, unlike most of Europe.
- Strategic European companies, such as high-end chip maker asml in the Netherlands, have been forced to choose between the U.S. and China. For now, they have chosen the U.S.
Merz’s trip was designed to be a reset, with compromises from both sides. Merz has criticized China’s military buildup in the South China Sea and warned it not to invade Taiwan. In years past, this would have earned a swift rebuke and even a cancellation of the trip. This time, China ignored it.
Meanwhile, Merz signaled he would not make an issue of China’s human rights abuses. Previous German chancellors made a point of taking questions from the press while in China—a kind of protest against China’s censorship. Merz took no questions.
Merz brought with him the highest-ranking business delegation that Germany has sent to China in 20 years. China promised to buy 120 Airbus aircraft and heard German shipping company dhl’s pitch for greater access to the Chinese market.
More German delegations will soon visit China, with Merz promising that Economics Minister Katherina Reiche will soon make a trip to finalize many other business deals.
“Germany Unites the World Against America” is the title of Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s personal in the latest Trumpet issue. It focuses on Germany’s efforts to forge a trade deal between Europe and Latin America. But a European-China axis is another important part of that story.
“Considering that China now possesses most of the world’s strategic sea gates (at one time held by Britain and America), the German-led Holy Roman Empire will need to form a brief alliance with the Asian powers identified in Isaiah 23: Russia, China and Japan, known in prophecy as ‘the kings of the east,’” wrote Mr. Flurry. “If Europe, even for a short period, finds a way to take advantage of key resources and strategic holdings of China, Russia and Japan, then it would have more than enough power to besiege the Anglo-Saxon nations.”
China and Germany drew close under Merkel but drifted apart thereafter. Merz’s two days in China show how quickly things can change: Now Germany and China are working together again, this time to oppose Donald Trump’s America.
Germany Buys Combat Drones
Germany’s parliamentary Budget Committee approved major orders of combat drones from defense start-ups Helsing and stark Defense yesterday. The contracts are initially valued at about $630 million but can, with parliamentary approval, expand into the billions. This is less than the Defense Ministry hoped for, but it allows it to get started and test the technology.
Drones from both Helsing and stark Defense have been operating in Ukraine, giving the firms valuable battlefield experience. However, both companies have been criticized for underperforming.
- Citing internal Defense Ministry information, Politico reported on January 29 that Helsing drones have only a 1 in 3 chance of successfully reaching their target in Ukraine.
- The success rate was much higher in a Bundeswehr test at the end of last year.
- In the same test, stark reportedly showed major deficiencies.
Legislators expressed concern over U.S. billionaire investor Peter Thiel’s involvement in stark Defense. Thiel has previously supported U.S. President Donald Trump.
There is also some skepticism about the future of AI drone warfare. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said:
As true as it is that drones dominate the current war Russia is waging against Ukraine, it is also true that no one knows whether this will still be the case in five years’ time.
Despite concerns, Germany is ordering thousands of drones designed to hover over a target, release explosives, and crash into it once an operator gives the go-ahead.
The first units will be delivered to the Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania and will be operational by 2027, according to Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer.
Germany’s first permanent military base in Lithuania has highlighted the end of Germany’s military reluctance. Now its investments in drone warfare, even though currently moderate, are a sign that it is preparing for the war of the future.
In “Germany Is Arming for World War III,” Mr. Flurry warned, “Drones have already changed warfare in recent years. But drone swarms guided by AI are likely to revolutionize warfare in a monumental way.”
Ethiopian Troops Are on the Move
The 21st century’s bloodiest conflict could re-erupt any day now. The Ethiopian government is mobilizing soldiers for a potential operation against the Tigray People’s Liberation Force, an ethnic Tigray militia based in Ethiopia’s north. The Tigray governed the country for almost two decades, up until 2018, and it resents Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for excluding it from the current government.
- Ethiopia has reportedly deployed troops from across the country toward the Tigray region.
- This includes a large number of troops from the Ahmara region, which is also experiencing unrest, indicating that it is prioritizing a conflict with the Tigray.
- Reports suggest the Tigray have signed an alliance with other Ethiopian militias and neighboring countries Eritrea and Sudan.
- The Institute for the Study of War stated: “The Ethiopian federal government will likely launch an offensive against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (tplf) within the next month.”
Context: The Ethiopian government and the Tigray fought a devastating civil war from 2020 to 2022 that killed an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people, the deadliest conflict so far this century. Both sides were accused of ethnic cleansing and other heinous atrocities, including the use of chemical weapons by the Ethiopian government.
The future: In Daniel 11:40-41, a prophecy for “the time of the end” describes two power blocs battling for control of the Middle East. For decades, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has said Iran will lead this “king of the south.” Biblical and secular history reveal the “king of the north” is a united European bloc, as Herbert W. Armstrong identified decades ago. Iran won’t be alone in its attack on Europe; verses 42-43 show the king of the north will also war against Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia—implying these countries are allied with Iran.
Ethiopia today is a majority-Christian country fighting against radical Islamist groups at its borders, like Iranian proxy al-Shabaab. It seems like the last country in the region that would partner with Iran, but Bible prophecy indicates a massive shift in Ethiopian politics. A renewed conflict with the Tigray could lead to this shift.
Learn more: Request Mr. Flurry’s free booklet The King of the South.
IN OTHER NEWS
Trump tariffs lower than expected: On Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a notice that all imports will “be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of 10 percent” with exceptions for certain products covered by preexisting exemptions. The notice did not explain why the percentage differs from the 15 percent global tariff President Trump announced on Saturday. Since the Supreme Court ruled President Trump’s tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act unconstitutional last week, these new tariffs are being implemented under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. Absent an extension from Congress, these tariffs will remain in effect for only 150 days. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has acknowledged that members of Congress are currently unlikely to vote for an extension.
China blocked Philippine Coast Guard’s Starlink: The Chinese Coast Guard disrupted the Starlink Internet connection of several Philippine government ships and an aircraft on Monday, the Philippine Coast Guard announced. They were operating near Scarborough Shoal, just 120 nautical miles from the Philippines coast, and well within its maritime zone as defined by international law. But China rejects international law and claims almost the entire South China Sea, including sections belonging to the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Chinese forces routinely harass vessels from these nations to assert control over the vast region. This is the first known instance of China’s disruption of Starlink. “[W]hen our Starlink Internet connectivity is jammed,” said Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela, “it delays the transmission of information and also compromises the communication of the vessels.” Mr. Flurry has said China’s belligerence in this vital region is heading toward dramatic escalation. “China is intimidating the nations of Southeast Asia into submission to its will,” he wrote in 2016. “It is forcing these countries to do what it wants. Everything is headed in the direction of war.”
French legislators approve medical murder: France’s lower house has voted to have the nation’s medical industry assist people who want to kill themselves due to terminal disease. It approved the legislation in May, but it was rejected by the Senate and sent back to the National Assembly. Now the Senate will again be asked to legalize “euthanasia,” as it is euphemistically called, which has been horrific in countries where it has been introduced. Canadian news regularly reports stories of people with minor ailments who have been pressured to kill themselves. Because such “compassionate” laws violate God’s law, they will always lead to increasingly worse depravity.
Israel welcomes ‘dear friend’ Modi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded a visit to Israel today, during which he received warm welcomes from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. “I must tell you, Narendra, my dear friend, I am deeply, deeply moved by your visit today,” Netanyahu said. “Since I must be diplomatic, I won’t rank it: That would get me into trouble. But I have never been more moved than by your visit with us.” Netanyahu went on to say, “In a world where anti-Semitism is rising, India stands out: A civilization where Jews were never persecuted by the state, only welcomed.” Isolation of Israel, largely due to surging anti-Semitism, has left the Jewish state uncertain of its allies, including the United States. Modi’s visit shows Israel is looking for new partners. The Bible says Israel will get one—and that it should be careful what it wishes for.
