Asia Talk # Guest: Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder# 04.12.2009

The first guest on ´Asia Talk` is a former German chancellor: Gerhard Schroeder. He was always a strong supporter of close German-Chinese trade ties, putting him firmly in the midst of a debate over maintaining relations with non-democratic states while simultaneously upholding western values. This political balancing act is still a major challenge, and all the more difficult when it comes to economically successful nations such as China. Mr Schroeder has always had a clear-cut opinion, albeit a controversial one.