German prosperity was built partly on China: Volkswagen began exporting to the Chinese market in 1984 and eventually sent one in three cars there. This film tracks how that trade relationship curdled into dependency, as Chinese firms like BYD now outcompete German carmakers on electric vehicles, and Germany finds itself reliant on China for computer chips, antibiotics, and solar cells. Interviews with German politicians and business figures trace the moment the relationship tipped from mutual benefit into what one calls codependency, with no easy exit. The film places China's October 2023 Belt and Road summit, where Xi Jinping appeared alongside Vladimir Putin, alongside Beijing's stance on Ukraine and its ongoing pressure on Taiwan, arguing that China now negotiates from strength rather than restraint. Archival footage of VW's early China years contrasts with present-day factory floors and government offices in Berlin, building a picture of a Western economy that miscalculated how much leverage it was handing over in exchange for cheap goods and healthy profits.