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Phoenix Kwong

China can play a bigger role in resolving the crisis in Syria and to help ease the influx of refugees to Europe, Germany’s ambassador to China said yesterday.
“On Syria, we would welcome a higher Chinese profile to finding a political solution to the conflicts, as well as a greater material contribution to help on the humanitarian side,” Michael Clauss said at a financial forum in Sanya.
Clauss said it was in China’s interests to have a strong and united Europe, as well as stability in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
“Europe is a key trading and technology partner [of China], and the Middle East is China’s largest source of energy resources,” he said, adding that both regions are key to China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiatives.
READ MORE: EU plans to deploy independent border force, overriding Shengen nations’ control of their own borders
In her eighth visit to China in October, German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with Premier Li Keqiang that there must be a political solution to the conflict in Syria.
China’s role in the crisis has so far been low profile role but some critics have said that China could do more to resolve it.
Clauss said about 1 million refugees had reached Germany and the situation had become a major political concern.

“And it doesn’t look like it is going to change anytime soon,” he said, expecting more refugees next year.
Clauss said China also needed to work with other countries on innovation as it tried to counter slowing growth in its economy.
READ MORE: Help us out: European Union’s man in Hong Kong wants wealthy Asian countries to ease burden of Syrian refugee crisis
“In particular in the field of manufacturing, innovation has obviously become a key factor. However, China cannot achieve innovation merely on its own, but they need cooperation with the outside world,” he said, adding that Germany and other European countries are world leaders in high technology.
But concerns about intellectual property rights protection and equal treatment for foreign companies needed to be addressed, Clauss said.
He added that China’s had to ensure that its internet systems remained connected to the world as it sought to balance security with openness.


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Europe’s refugee crisis

China can do more to resolve crisis in Syria and help refugees: Germany

A refugee family passes beside Greek riot police officers at a refugee camp near Idomeni railway station in northern Greece by the border with Macedonia, photographed from the Macedonian side of the border, near the town of Gevgelija, on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015. Greek riot police have removed Wednesday hundreds of protesting migrants from a border crossing to Macedonia, which is denying them entry, deeming them to be economic migrants and not refugees. Macedonia, along with Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, is turning away from its borders migrants who are not from war zones such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Michael Clauss, German Ambassador to China, speaks to South China Morning Post reporter during an exclusive interview at in his office in the embassy in Beijing, China. 03JUL15 === Photo by Simon Song ===

A refugee family passes beside Greek riot police officers at a refugee camp near Idomeni railway station in northern Greece by the border with Macedonia. Photo: AP

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China can do more to resolve crisis in Syria and help refugees: Germany

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