Statement by EES President Dr Ingo Friedrich, September 16th, 2025

China is Forcing Us to Undergo a Fundamental Mentality Shift

The facts are clear: China is poised to overtake us in key areas. Before we lose our prosperity as a result, we must take action and fundamentally change our ways in two areas in particular:

1. Promoting Talented People in Business and Society

Sport, especially football, shows how it's done: when the very good players are nurtured in such a way that they become the best, their performances develop into world-class. And it is precisely this world-class quality that we have lost in important areas. Regaining it must be our primary goal.

It starts in school: If teachers primarily focus on the weak and those with learning disabilities, the talented and high achievers will suffer. The result is mediocrity at best, and given today's global dynamics, that is fatal. Instead of mediocrity, we need excellence!

Another example is the media: The trend is toward a downward orientation rather than an upward one: initiatives and support for less successful segments of the population are constantly praised and recommended as exemplary. But exemplary success stories of young entrepreneurs are hard to come by. A groundbreaking business idea, which may even be financially successful, is almost disreputable. This must fundamentally change! Serious successes should also be highlighted as positive and desirable. In sports, reports don't just focus on the losers, but primarily on the winners. That's how motivation works!

Don't get me wrong: Helping weaker or disadvantaged people is right and good. But in the acute, dramatic situation where China is pushing us to the wall, we also absolutely need broad support for the particularly gifted so that they can bring us back to the top. Given the massive incentives and pressure to perform in China, we have no choice but to do the same, at least to a large extent. Because if our prosperity collapses across the board, we can no longer afford any support at all.

2. Changes and Challenges Must Be Perceived as Opportunities

The willingness to accept change or even take risks to discover new things has declined dramatically in Germany. A permanent position, ideally with a four-day week and home office, is the primary goal for most. All of this would be pleasant and feasible if the Chinese weren't threatening us so brutally – see cars. The noticeable indifference and complacency, encouraged by long stretches of prosperity, are now coming back to haunt us. It is paralyzing progress, ideas, and developments.

When you add to that the German tendency to "protect" everything with bureaucratic regulations, it spreads like mildew over everything and everyone. We can no longer afford all of this in today's competitive environment.

The need to make this broad shift in mindset applies not only to politics and business, but to practically everyone in positions of responsibility. It has to be fun again to "get involved," to fight, and to "get something done." And the public should not only acknowledge such successes and achievements, but also celebrate them appropriately. Success is the foundation for the prosperity for all that we strive for.

Dr. Ingo Friedrich