In the first visit by a G7 leader to Beijing in three years, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to strengthen their collaboration and work even harder for the sake of world peace and development in these times of “change and turbulence”.
Meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Scholz pointed out how good it is that both leaders meet in person in these tense times in which the Russian invasion of Ukraine has created problems for the rules-based global order, according to what was collected. a Reuters reporter present at the meeting.
The German also pointed out that they will jointly address issues related to ties between China and Europe, the fight against climate change or the development of trade ties between the two nations.
The chancellor is the first great world leader to meet with Xi after the Chinese consolidated his power by renewing his post for an unprecedented third term at the recent congress held by the Communist Party.
Scholz landed in Beijing this Friday leading a delegation of politicians and big businessmen from the country (Adidas, BASF, BMW, Siemens, etc.). It is expected that after his meeting with Xi he will also meet with Prime Minister Li Keqiang, in charge of the country's economic policy, before leaving the country on the same day given the restrictions imposed by China's covid-zero policy. .
The German's visit has sparked much criticism both in his country and among the rest of the European partners. Different countries have accused Scholz of prioritizing German economic interests, as Chancellor Angela Merkel did before, over the common geostrategic position of the European Union, which considers China both a trade partner and a competitor and systemic rival.
In addition, many point out that Berlin could be tripping over the same stone twice: first, trusting its energy security in Russian gas; and now, becoming increasingly dependent on Chinese technology.
Even German business media have warned against excessive exposure to Chinese interests by German companies, and the Confederation of German Industry called on Monday to redefine relations with Beijing within the framework of the European Union.
In Germany, the controversial entry of Chinese capital into a terminal in the port of Hamburg is still ongoing. The German media pointed out that Scholz was in favor of maintaining the original agreement with the Chinese shipping company Cosco, by which he was authorized to purchase 35% of the terminal, a pact that his coalition partners -greens and liberals- opposed. - and several Social Democratic ministers.
In the end, a compromise solution was reached whereby Chinese capital took over 24.9% of the infrastructure, allowing the terminal to remain under the control of the city of Hamburg and the port operator.
In a column published this week in defense of his trip, Scholz called for a "sense of proportion and pragmatism" in dealing with the Asian giant, his first trading partner. Beijing is an "important" partner, but if it changes, it must also change the way it is treated by the West, he argued in his brief.
In addition, he added that the world has undergone profound changes since the last visit of a German head of state to the country three years ago, so it is not possible to "continue business as usual" and it is necessary to start a direct dialogue with China.
