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China looks to reboot Germany, Europe relations, amid Ukraine war fallout
- Wang Yi offers Olaf Scholz ‘full restart’ after making similar pledges to France, Italy
- Beijing seeks to rebuild goodwill in EU eroded by support for Moscow’s invasion, analyst says
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A top Chinese diplomat pitched renewed cooperation to senior German officials on Friday in what analysts call part of a wider effort to restore Chinese relations around Europe after a downward spiral led by Beijing’s support for Moscow.
China was ready to “fully restart” exchanges with Germany and Europe, Wang Yi, the Communist Party Central Committee’s foreign affairs commission director, was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.
Wang was speaking to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
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He had made the same pledge to French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday and a day later to an Italian deputy prime minister, citing improvements in China’s own economy after the lifting of Covid-19 controls.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Belgian counterpart in a call on February 10 that China supported the entry of more “quality” Belgian products into the Chinese market.
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China’s calls for closer ties with Europe come as it grapples with strained relations with the United States over trade, economics, technology and geopolitics.
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