The Chancellor is courted in Beijing with grand gestures and flattering words. However, there is hardly any convergence on two crucial conflict issues, Russia’s war against Ukraine and trade.
Far from the noise of the city and the wars of the world, in the spacious grounds of the Diaoyutai State Guest House, the powerful man welcomes his guest. The large park with its lakes speaks of harmony, and isn’t that exactly what it’s all about? China’s President Xi Jinping gives the German Chancellor a very friendly reception. Almost as if there was something to be done right. In November 2022, Olaf Scholz was the first Western state guest in Beijing since the beginning of the corona pandemic. It was a very short visit, still marked by fear of the virus. At that time, the Chancellor’s delegation was only allowed to move in a bubble without contact with the outside world, and they did not even spend the night in Beijing.