China must ‘urgently’ find solutions to boost trade ties with Germany, Berlin’s top diplomat says

To boost trade ties with Germany, China must “urgently” address numerous issues, including its strict travel and quarantine restrictions and “differences in values” with the European Union, Berlin’s acting ambassador said on Tuesday.

Travel and quarantine restrictions are two of the difficulties in “various directions” faced by China and Germany, said Frank Rueckert, who is currently Germany’s top diplomat in China following the sudden death of ambassador Jan Hecker in September.

China’s commitment to opening-up its markets is also an obstacle, according to Rueckert.

“We urgently need to find pragmatic solutions to facilitate mobility between China and the European Union. … European societies are increasingly striving for sustainable value chains. And it’s clear that differences in values, particularly with respect to fundamental human rights, come with negative commercial impacts,” Rueckert said, who was speaking at an event in Beijing marking the release of the annual survey of business sentiment by the German Chamber of Commerce in China.

“There are uncertainties about risks and potential disadvantages for foreign businesses and global trade that weigh on the business environment.”

Rueckert also noted a lack of commercial flights between China and Germany this month, as these have all but ground to a halt, outside chartered flights arranged by Berlin for chamber of commerce members.