BERLIN, July 2. /TASS/. The central conflict in the 21st century would be between the US and China, future Ambassador of Germany to Russia Alexander Lambsdorff said in an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

"It must be clear for us, the Germans, that we are not a small player at a global measure but we are not also a superpower. The central conflict of the 21st century will evolve between the US and China. We must know there on what side we are," the diplomat said.

"We as European will need to consolidate and take the side of our democratic partner. Protection of freedom is of paramount importance for me as the liberal. We see in the current military situation how important the Trans-Atlantic cooperation is," he noted.

Germany "is partly too dependent" on China in certain critical spheres, Lambsdorff said. "This pertains to procurements of raw materials and primary products and to sales of products of certain companies," he noted. Nobody is going to force German companies to wind down their business in China but they should be aware that the Chinese market may be closed for them and their existence can be jeopardized in case of a major conflict between the United States and China, the diplomat added.