German Chancellor to Visit China Early Next Month... Expected to Hold Talks with President Xi Jinping

German Chancellor Scholz Meets Xi Jinping, Confirmed for Third Term, as First Foreign Leader
EU Views German Chancellor's China Visit Negatively... "EU Must Show United Front"

[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Cho Young-shin] German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to visit China in early next month, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 22nd.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Chancellor Scholz is expected to be the first foreign leader to visit China after Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (also President of the State and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, hereafter referred to as President), secured his third term.

However, several European Union (EU) leaders have expressed negative views regarding Scholz's visit to China, raising concerns that this could cause a rift in the EU's China policy.

SCMP reported that Scholz will visit China in early next month accompanied by a delegation of German business representatives. The specific schedule and locations of Scholz’s visit to China have not been disclosed.

In this regard, the French daily Le Monde reported that French President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Scholz had considered visiting China together, but it was decided that Scholz would visit China alone, according to SCMP.

Le Monde explained that in July, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and Spain had received invitations to visit China in November. Therefore, Scholz’s visit to China is likely to be a state visit. Beijing is also the most probable destination. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, no foreign leader has directly visited China’s capital, Beijing.

As news of Chancellor Scholz’s visit to China emerged, some EU leaders expressed concerns.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kaja Kallas, Prime Minister of Estonia, said, "(Economic) interests could divide us (the EU)," adding, "The EU must maintain a united front."

Arturs Krisjanis Karins, Prime Minister of Latvia, also expressed a negative stance on Scholz’s visit to China, stating, "A unified approach toward China is necessary in Europe." He added that China should take the right side regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium, said, "China is our partner on certain issues like climate change, but China has shown hostile behavior in some areas," expressing a negative view on the German Chancellor’s visit to China.

SCMP assessed that opposition within Germany would also be a burden for Chancellor Scholz. There is already controversy within Germany over whether to allow Chinese state-owned enterprises to participate in the Hamburg port. The German government is reviewing a plan for COSCO, a Chinese state-owned shipping company, to acquire a 35% stake in the Tollerort container terminal, one of the four terminals in Hamburg, Germany’s largest port city.

In this regard, the ruling coalition parties?the Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP)?ministers in charge, opposition parties, and even the European Commission are all united in opposing the Chinese state-owned shipping company’s stake in the Hamburg port.

SCMP cited reports from German broadcasters NDR and WDR, stating that Chancellor Scholz is pushing for approval of the deal despite opposition from six German government ministries.

German politicians have expressed the view that Germany’s critical infrastructure should not become a toy for the geopolitical interests of another country (China), and that access by the Chinese Communist Party to Germany’s important infrastructure poses risks.

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