As US beats sanctions drums over Hong Kong, Germany says keeping ties with China warm brings 'more stability & less conflict'

Germany won't go tough on Beijing over Hong Kong as it understands that not every country is run by a Western playbook, Berlin's economy minister has said. Indeed, preserving ties yields more results than pressure does, he added. While Washington is unveiling sanctions against Beijing and London is accusing it of breaching the bilateral pact on the 1997 Hong Kong handover, Germany will stick to its long-standing pattern of "dealing with difficult partners and talking [to them] even in difficult times," as Economy Minister Peter Altmaier puts it in FAZ newspaper on Saturday....