The Loisach Group, a German-American partnership, met for the tenth time on September 24 and 25, 2020 to discuss and explore a transatlantic approach to the rise of China. The group, comprised of U.S. and German security experts, is a partnership between the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies and the Munich Security Conference. This unique forum aims at strengthening the German-American partnership by working together on finding common ground and solutions to emerging security challenges.

The hybrid seminar, which brought together guest speakers gathered at the Marshall Center and a large number of experts who joined the discussions virtually, enabled the participants to speak openly about current challenges related to the rise of China and the need to find common ground in the transatlantic community. The discussion noted that the balance of challenges and opportunities presented by the People’s Republic of China has shifted over the last few years. This is reflected in a greater strategic convergence between Germany and the United States.

The German Deputy Director of the Marshall Center, BG (ret.) Helmut Dotzler expressed his satisfaction with the results of the meeting, saying, “I am very satisfied with our first hybrid Loisach Group meeting. After two days of very intense discussions, we laid the foundation for developing strategic insights about our transatlantic relationship that will be shared with our stakeholders and partners soon. I am very much looking forward to the next meeting, thanking all who have contributed to this extremely fruitful event.”

The Minister of the Bavarian State Chancellery, Dr. Florian Herrmann, was the keynote speaker of the event. Hermann emphasized the importance of the transatlantic economy for economic development in Bavaria. Other speakers included Dr. Christian Schmidt, Member of the German Bundestag; Mr. Daniel Silverberg, Senior National Security Advisor to Majority Leader Hoyer; Dr. Josef Braml, Head of The Americas Program, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP); Dr. Karlheinz Kamp, Special Envoy of the Political Director, German Federal Ministry of Defense; and Mr. Daniel Silverberg, the Senior National Security Advisor to Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives.

The hybrid conference was moderated by Dr. Andrew Michta, the Dean of the College of International Security Studies at the Marshall Center.  Dean Michta highlighted the value of the cooperative effort, saying, “The Loisach Group continues to serve as an important platform for German-American dialogue, with experts from both countries sharing insights on key security issues of today. Although because of COVID restrictions we could not hold our meeting in Washington as originally planned, the virtual format worked well and we were able to generate important insights and plan subsequent Loisach Group activities.”

On the second day of the event, a panel moderated by Dr. Ralf Roloff, the Deputy Dean of the Marshall Center, and Dr. Valbona Zeneli, Chair of Strategic Initiatives, explored takeaways from the seminar. During this session, Loisach Group core members as well as speakers from the U.S. and German government recommended practical steps to promote German-American cooperative efforts to find common ground in policies towards China.

Following the event, two Marshall Center faculty members, Katrin Bastian and Graeme Herd, wrote a summary of the event’s discussions and look ahead entitled “Loisach Group Discusses the Transatlantic Response to the Rise of China.”