A stronger work ethic cannot fix advanced economiesGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s claim that the German people simply need to work harder to keep up with China is met with resistanceBy Jun DuGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz returned from his recent visit to China visibly rattled. Worse, over one-third of German industrial firms are considering relocating production abroad. However, Merz’s prescription — to work harder — reflects a misdiagnosis of the problem. None of this has anything to do with the German work ethic. As Mehdi put it, telling Germans to work harder is like telling a horse to run faster when the other side has already built the internal combustion engine.

Source: Taipei Times March 11, 2026 17:43 UTC