Germany’s Scholz after meeting China’s Li: Talks more crucial than ever
Published: 05:06 PM,Jun 20,2023 | EDITED : 08:06 PM,Jun 20,2023
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BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday it was more important than ever to hold direct talks with China given the pile-up of global crises, but Germany would continue to seek to diversify trade away from Asia’s rising superpower.
Scholz has come under fire for hosting intergovernmental talks in Berlin with a large Chinese delegation led by Premier Li Qiang in the first face-to-face summit since the pandemic. Critics say these are not appropriate anymore given growing geopolitical tensions between the West and China.
The talks came the same day the European Union’s executive launched a bid to convince the bloc’s 27 member states to agree to stronger controls on exports and outflows of technologies that could be put to military use by rivals like China.
Scholz defended his decision at a joint news conference with Li in Berlin — itself contentious for not allowing any questions from journalists.
“Direct dialogue, personal talks, a real discussion — all of that is more important than usual in this unusual time full of global challenges and crises,” the Social Democratic chancellor said.
The Covid-19 pandemic, which disrupted supply chains worldwide, showed that Germany needed to work closely with China on a range of issues also including health, Scholz added.
China is willing to work with Germany to take bilateral relations to a new level, said Li, noting the countries signed more than 10 cooperation agreements in areas including advanced manufacturing and environmental protection during his visit.
A third high-level Chinese-German dialogue on global financial matters will take place in Berlin later in the year, Schlolz said — noting China had a key role to play in global finance given it was the world’s largest bilateral creditor. “It allows us to discuss questions directly with one another where we have different opinions and differences,” he said.
The talks come after a rare visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was seeking to de-escalate US-Chinese tensions. Scholz said he had urged China to exert more influence on Russia over its attack of Ukraine, and to improve market access and fair competition for German companies in China.
China became Germany’s single biggest trade partner in 2016 and is a core market for top German companies including Volkswagen, BASF and BMW.
Companies, not governments, should take the lead on managing risk, Li told a meeting of top German CEOs on Monday.
— Reuters
Scholz has come under fire for hosting intergovernmental talks in Berlin with a large Chinese delegation led by Premier Li Qiang in the first face-to-face summit since the pandemic. Critics say these are not appropriate anymore given growing geopolitical tensions between the West and China.
The talks came the same day the European Union’s executive launched a bid to convince the bloc’s 27 member states to agree to stronger controls on exports and outflows of technologies that could be put to military use by rivals like China.
Scholz defended his decision at a joint news conference with Li in Berlin — itself contentious for not allowing any questions from journalists.
“Direct dialogue, personal talks, a real discussion — all of that is more important than usual in this unusual time full of global challenges and crises,” the Social Democratic chancellor said.
The Covid-19 pandemic, which disrupted supply chains worldwide, showed that Germany needed to work closely with China on a range of issues also including health, Scholz added.
China is willing to work with Germany to take bilateral relations to a new level, said Li, noting the countries signed more than 10 cooperation agreements in areas including advanced manufacturing and environmental protection during his visit.
A third high-level Chinese-German dialogue on global financial matters will take place in Berlin later in the year, Schlolz said — noting China had a key role to play in global finance given it was the world’s largest bilateral creditor. “It allows us to discuss questions directly with one another where we have different opinions and differences,” he said.
The talks come after a rare visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was seeking to de-escalate US-Chinese tensions. Scholz said he had urged China to exert more influence on Russia over its attack of Ukraine, and to improve market access and fair competition for German companies in China.
China became Germany’s single biggest trade partner in 2016 and is a core market for top German companies including Volkswagen, BASF and BMW.
Companies, not governments, should take the lead on managing risk, Li told a meeting of top German CEOs on Monday.
— Reuters