But he understood instinctively that daily events were shaped by powerful trends and forces: the strategic competition between East and West, the evolving international financial system in the age of global interdependence, and the consequences of decolonization. He was one of the first in Germany to notice the rise of China and reckon with the implications of Asia’s return to a leading role on the world stage.
施密特清醒地知道一位现实政治家要在事件发生时积极面对，尽可能明智地对其进行管理。但他本能地知道日常事件受到不可阻挡的趋势和力量影响：东西方之间的战略竞争、全球相互依存时代国际金融体系的演化和去殖民地化所造成的后果。他在德国第一批注意到中国的崛起，并预料到亚洲重返世界舞台领导地位的意义。