"China, Germany Think Tank Sanctions Withdrawal Behind-the-Scenes Discussions"

(Photo by SCMP)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Yujin] It has been revealed belatedly that China recently made an unofficial visit to Germany to discuss behind the scenes the lifting of sanctions on a German think tank.

On the 3rd, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP), citing multiple sources, reported that a Chinese delegation composed of former officials met with personnel from the Mercator Institute for China Studies, a German think tank, in the last week of November last year. They were on a tour of the Benelux countries and Iceland at the time.

Earlier, in March last year, when the European Union (EU) announced sanctions on four Chinese officials and one state-owned entity over human rights abuses against the Uyghur ethnic group in Xinjiang, China immediately imposed sanctions on Mercator.

Neither the Chinese Embassy in Germany nor Mercator confirmed the meeting, but several sources stated that the sanctions imposed by China were discussed during the meeting.

One source said the Chinese delegation wanted the sanctions on the German think tank lifted, but the effort was ultimately unsuccessful as the EU extended its sanctions against China.

Shortly after the meeting, in early last month, the EU announced it would extend sanctions related to Uyghur human rights abuses for another year until this year. This was the first time since the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident in Beijing that the EU sanctioned China over human rights violations.

The source pointed out that although the talks were very encouraging, the lack of substantial progress in resetting relations showed how little the Chinese side understood the situation within the EU.

Thorsten Benner, a researcher at the German Global Public Policy Institute, said, "Unless China significantly backs down from its aggressive stance, there will be no progress in improving EU-China relations."

The new German government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz is assessed to have shifted to a tougher stance on China, unlike the Angela Merkel administration, which supported the "One China" policy.

In the coalition agreement, the Scholz government directly criticized China on core interests it considers non-negotiable, such as "human rights, Hong Kong, and Taiwan."

The agreement states, "We designate Xinjiang Uyghur as a region of particular concern regarding human rights, call for the restoration of the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle in Hong Kong, and support Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations."

The profiles of the new German government officials also reflect strong anti-China sentiment. Annalena Baerbock, the Green Party leader appointed as foreign minister, has made tough remarks against China and Russia on human rights issues.

Christian Lindner, the Free Democratic Party leader who will take office as finance minister, has also opposed the Merkel government's conciliatory China policy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.