'Russia is the storm, China is climate change'

 Germany's intelligence service chiefs warned on Monday that China could use stakes in critical infrastructure as leverage to pursue political aims amid a debate in Berlin over whether to let Chinese shipping company Cosco invest in Hamburg port. Germany's Greens-run economy ministry wants to veto Cosco's bid to buy a stake in one of the three terminals in Germany's most important port, while the Social Democrat (SPD)-run chancellery is more in favour, according to government sources. The dispute reflects a broader, heated debate in Germany over how to reduce dependency on China, its top trading partner, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine highlighted the dangers of reliance on an increasingly assertive, authoritarian state. China has urged Germany not to politicize the countries' economic relations or engage in protectionism "in the name of national security". In a parliamentary hearing that touched on an array of security matters, the heads of the German foreign and domestic intelligence agencies said they could not deliver a public assessment of Cosco's bid but in general urged caution.

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