Decoupling from China ‘the wrong answer’, says German leader

Olaf Scholz says Germany ‘must continue to do business with China’ while also trading with Africa, South America and the rest of Asia

German chancellor is reportedly planning a trip to Beijing next month – the first visit by a G7 leader since the Covid-19 pandemic began

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government has adopted a tougher stance on China. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:00pm, 12 Oct 2022Updated: 9:11pm, 12 Oct 2022

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is reportedly planning a trip to Beijing early next month, said decoupling from China would be the wrong path as the two countries marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties on Tuesday.

Scholz plans to travel to China around November 3-4 for the first time since taking office in December, according to Bloomberg and Politico, which would make him the first Group of 7 leader to do so since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pending official confirmation from Beijing and Berlin, he is also expected to become the first Western leader to meet President Xi Jinping after the Chinese leader secures his norm-breaking third term in office at the Communist Party’s national congress, which starts on Sunday.

The Post reported in July that Beijing had invited Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron to visit China, along with the leaders of Italy and Spain, in a bid to counter Washington’s alliance-based approach to confronting China.

Scholz and Xi are expected to meet again soon at the G20 summit in Bali around November 12-14, where Xi plans to have an in-person meeting with US President Joe Biden for the first time since the American leader took office.

Scholz, who described Beijing as a “systemic rival” during a trip to Japan early this year, defended his nuanced approach to China at a business conference in Berlin on Tuesday and stressed the need to diversify political and economic ties.

“Globalisation has been a success story that enabled prosperity for many people. We must defend it,” Scholz said. “Decoupling is the wrong answer.”

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