China syndrome: Germany keen to expand collaboration with Indian startups

livemint.com:

Berlin: German authorities are eyeing closer collaboration with Indian startups in mobility, health, energy and advanced materials among other fields, said a German government official, after regulatory and political troubles with China led to a shift in focus toward India. China’s harsh covid-era restrictions also proved an obstacle to German firms, said the official. The city of Berlin, a leading hub for German startups, is particularly interested in building collaborations with Indian startups.

AsiaBerlin, an initiative set up and funded by the government of Berlin, will send a delegation of German startups to India for collaborations with the Indian startup ecosystem. The delegation of startups will visit New Delhi and Bengaluru and is expected to participate in the Bangalore Tech Summit. Under a similar programme, the Berlin government hopes to send more founders and research institutions to India next year in an effort to deepen collaborations between the startup ecosystems.

The programme has led to several German companies eyeing a presence in India while Indian startups in mobility and robotics are looking to establish a presence in Germany. These efforts are also being supported by the Indian and German governments. However, the official also stated that regulatory troubles as well as paperwork remain a problem for German firms looking to break into the Indian market.

These moves, while motivated by commercial logic, also come as part of a broader rethink on Germany’s dependence on China. China was Germany’s top partner for trade in goods in 2022 with a trading volume of around 300 billion euros. However, concerns over human rights and Beijing’s assertive foreign policy prompted Berlin to release its first China