diplomacy
Baerbock in China: talks about Russia and Taiwan
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) is welcomed by workers during a visit to Flender GmbH in Tianjin. Gearboxes and drive components for wind turbines are assembled there. photo
© Soeren Stache/dpa
It is probably the most sensitive part of Foreign Minister Baerbock’s visit to the People’s Republic: political talks in Beijing are likely to also be about human rights – and global conflicts.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock continued her visit to China this Friday with talks at a German electromobility company in the port city of Tianjin. Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who comes from Tianjin, accompanied the Green politician. Vitesco, based in Regensburg, Bavaria, has been producing fully integrated electric axle drives in Tianjin since 2019. The group has been operating a research and development center there since November 2021.
Baerbock and Qin Gang then want to take a special train to Beijing, the capital around 120 kilometers to the west. Talks are planned there in the state guest house Diaoyutai as part of the German-Chinese strategic dialogue. In the afternoon (local time), Baerbock also wants to have a brief conversation with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.
A balancing act
Given China’s backing for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine and tensions over Taiwan, the political talks were seen as the most sensitive part of Baerbock’s visit. In addition to German-Chinese relations, the focus should also be on the human rights situation in China and the containment of the climate crisis.
Even before leaving for China, Baerbock had emphasized the goal of exploring opportunities for future cooperation with Beijing and reducing the dangers of one-sided dependency. “Partner, competitor, systemic rival – that is the compass of European China policy. The direction in which the needle will swing in the future also depends on which path China chooses,” she said.