How German leader Olaf Scholz walked a fine line in China

Name: ‘Any change in Taiwan’s status quo must be peaceful,’ German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tells China
Uploaded: 2022-11-05T14:00:14.000Z
Duration: 2 min 3 s
Description: ‘Any change in Taiwan’s status quo must be peaceful,’ German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tells China

The visit by the German leader was a good first step on the road to resolving some differences but it didn’t clear doubts in Europe, analysts say

It also enabled Beijing to send a message to the West about its direction following the China’s leadership reshuffle, professor says

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Kawala Xie

Published: 10:00pm, 5 Nov 2022

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz balanced his country’s economic interests and European strategic concerns on his trip to China last week but it will take much more to dispel doubts on the continent about Beijing, according to analysts.

Scholz’s high-profile visit, his first to China as the German chancellor, was criticised from the start, with European Green Party politician Reinhard Butikofer calling it “the most controversially debated visit in the country for the last 50 years”.

It comes as both Germany and the European Union revisit their China policy to tackle concerns about China’s economic practices and human rights record.

Berlin’s decision to allow state-owned China Ocean Shipping Company to become a shareholder of a terminal at Germany’s busiest port also triggered national security concerns from his Western partners, including the US.

Before leaving for Beijing, Scholz said he recognised that the EU had become too economically dependent on China but insisted that Germany should not decouple from China or heed “calls by some” to isolate the country.

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‘Any change in Taiwan’s status quo must be peaceful,’ German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tells China

In his meeting with Scholz on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping sought to reaffirm that position, calling on Germany and the EU to not attach to “any third party” and to retain their strategic autonomy.