diplomacy
Middle East escalation overshadows Scholz’s visit to China
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) gets off the plane at Chongqing airport in China. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
The news of the Iranian attack on Israel reached Chancellor Scholz in the air – halfway from Berlin to Chongqing. The impact on his trip to China is still unclear.
The start of the Chancellor’s three-day visit to China Olaf Scholz (SPD) has been overshadowed by Iranian air strikes on Israel. On Sunday night, halfway through his ten-hour flight from Berlin to Chongqing, the Chancellor learned about the dangerous escalation in the Middle East.
Scholz: Iran risks regional conflagration
The first thing he did after landing was to condemn the attacks “in the strongest possible terms.” “With this irresponsible and unjustifiable attack, Iran is risking a regional conflagration,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit on behalf of the Chancellor. “In these difficult times, Germany stands closely by Israel’s side. We will now discuss further reactions closely with our G7 partners and allies.”
During the flight, Scholz was continually informed about the escalation in the Middle East, according to those close to him. The delegation was in close contact with the German security authorities.
The retaliatory strike for an air strike – presumably carried out by Israel – on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria’s capital Damascus had been expected for days. There were also suggestions that it could take place this weekend. Scholz decided to start his trip anyway.
Start in what is probably the most populous city in the world
The extent to which the developments will affect Scholz’s travel program was still unclear on Sunday morning. In the megacity of Chongqing, which with its 32 million inhabitants is considered the most populous city in the world, a visit to a Bosch hydrogen drive production facility and a discussion with students about urban planning were planned. The Chancellor’s program also included a conversation with regional party secretary Yuan Jiajun and a boat trip on the Yangtze River.
Chongqing lies on the Yangtze in front of a mountain backdrop and is considered an up-and-coming economic metropolis. Among other things, 30 percent of the laptops produced worldwide come from there. The onward journey to Shanghai is planned for Monday, and the Chancellor wants to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang in Beijing on Tuesday. At least these two dates in the capital are not in question.
A dozen top managers there – VW not represented
The Chancellor is accompanied by a dozen top managers. These include the CEOs of the car manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and BMW as well as the chemical company BASF. Volkswagen, the largest European car company, is not taking part this time. In Beijing, Scholz also receives support from ministers Cem Özdemir (Agriculture, Greens), Volker Wissing (transport, FDP) and Steffi Lemke (environment, Greens).
It is the Chancellor’s second trip to China since taking office in December 2021. His inaugural visit in November 2022 was only a day trip due to the ongoing corona pandemic. This time he is taking three days – more than ever before for a single country on a trip.
The main topics are likely to include economic cooperation, efforts to end Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, tensions between China and Taiwan and climate protection.
Practical test for the China strategy
Last summer, the traffic light government decided on a China strategy aimed at reducing economic dependence on the People’s Republic in order to avoid a rude awakening like the one that occurred when Russian gas supplies were cut off after the attack on Ukraine. However, this strategy is not really working for the German economy. The approximately 5,000 German companies in China are more concerned about unfair competitive conditions and exporters are concerned about falling sales figures. Conversely, cheap Chinese electric cars are flooding the European market. The EU Commission has therefore initiated an investigation into possible illegal subsidies. If this results in countermeasures, German car manufacturers in particular fear that this could trigger a trade war.
China’s official news agency Xinhua, which is considered the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, wrote before Scholz’s landing that the expectation from the visit was that “new momentum” would come into the relations between the two countries. Germany and China, with their economic ties in the age of globalization, should continue close and mutually beneficial cooperation, it said.
Ukraine War: China as Russia’s Most Important Ally
The greatest success of the Chancellor’s inaugural visit to Beijing a year and a half ago was that Xi subsequently took a stand against Russian threats to use nuclear weapons. This time it will probably be about, among other things, the Ukraine peace conference, which is scheduled to take place in Switzerland in mid-June. Any possible success depends on the participation of China and other states that are friendly to Russia, such as Brazil or South Africa. Scholz is committed to these countries participating.
At the same time, he is concerned that China supplies Russia with goods that can be used militarily. This could also become a topic during the visit. “It’s about China not supporting Russia in waging a brutal war against its neighbor Ukraine,” Scholz told the daily newspaper before his departure.