Yeah, it's all interconnected in the end. German economy was built around manufacturing that was made competitive by cheap energy from Russia. Now that energy prices have shot up, companies are moving production out, with a lot of it going to China. Meanwhile, pulling out of the Russian market created an economic niche that China quickly moved to fill while continuing to enjoy cheap Russian energy. Goods are now far cheaper to produce in China which in turns continues to squeeze German industry further. This is a vicious cycle that Germany can't break now.

And completely agree that this is precisely what US wanted all along. Europe will be turned into a cheap labor market for US, any social programs Europeans enjoyed will be stripped from them, and mass austerity will ensue. All this happened because Europeans wanted to spite the Russians by cutting their own nose off.