Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

Germany will hold an investment summit in October, the Financial Times reported on Monday. In a draft presentation ahead of the event in Berlin, the German government is highlighting its "strong fiscal stance" as the only G7 country with a triple-A credit rating from all three major rating agencies, as shown on a page titled "Germany as Europe's bedrock of stability."

Apparently, Germany is striving to rebuild its market confidence and attract more overseas investment to revitalize its struggling industrial and economic landscape. The eagerness lays bare its gnawing economic anxiety. The country has been stuck in a cycle of economic stagnation, due to factors such as lingering shocks of the energy crisis, declining industrial competitiveness, and underinvestment in some sectors. 

In May, Germany's council of economic advisers cut its 2026 growth forecast to just 0.5 percent, down 0.4 percentage points from its previous forecast issued last autumn, warning that the conflict in the Middle East, surging energy prices and persistent US trade protectionism were placing fresh strains on Europe's largest economy after years of stagnation. In this context, courting overseas investment is a pragmatic attempt to leverage foreign capital to revitalize local industries and resolve structural economic woes.

But for this investment summit to truly count, Germany needs to get one simple truth straight: Capital does not flow into a country just because of a triple-A rating. The core of successful investment promotion is mutual benefit and genuine respect. Investors need to see tangible profits, fair treatment and a predictable regulatory environment. If a country merely wants foreign money, jobs and production capacity while sending mixed signals or creating uncertainty for investors, its investment promotion efforts may struggle to deliver results.

As the largest economy in Europe, Germany was once a firm advocate of globalization and free trade. Amid the rising tide of protectionism across Western economies, the upcoming investment summit offers a crucial opportunity for Germany to recalibrate its positioning: will it continue to champion open markets and provide a fair business climate to attract foreign investment? This choice will determine not only the outcome of this summit but also Germany's long-term position in the global capital landscape.

Recent German signals to Chinese investment have been complex. The German chancellor recently signaled that he was not opposed to Chinese carmakers taking over struggling German auto plants but cautioned it could not be a long-term solution for the industry's problems, AFP reported. 

Such mixed signals have emerged repeatedly. In April, Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume said that he was open to Volkswagen's Chinese partners using its plants. However, the group has since sought to dampen speculations of any imminent deals. The problem was never corporate willingness to cooperate. It was the shadow of policy uncertainty hanging over every conversation, slowly eroding the industrial sector's sincerity for pragmatic collaboration.

Some Chinese companies are cautious about investing in Europe, not due to a lack of willingness, but due to policy uncertainty, opaque hidden barriers and potential risks. Groundless smears against Chinese companies, investment prejudice, frequent adjustments of industrial policies and arbitrary investment review mechanisms have turned normal commercial projects into easy targets, slapped with the label of "security risk." Once market considerations are overridden by ideological prejudice, and once lawful corporate activities are thwarted by political meddling, global capital will inevitably head elsewhere.

A genuine economic turnaround driven by investment can never be achieved through biased cooperation. It requires full respect for market rules, capital interests and win-win economic principles. To live up to its position as "the bedrock of European stability," Germany needs to provide a level playing field and a transparent business environment for Chinese investment, and show sincerity in providing certainty. Only by treating foreign investors sincerely and safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests can Germany attract high-quality global investment.