Editorial | Germany carving its own path on China
- Pragmatism is at play in each relationship between the West and China, not least with Berlin and Beijing. For German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, that means continued engagement and commerce
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was the latest Western leader to visit China this month, on the heels of French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Like Macron and von der Leyen, Scholz spoke of security in Europe and urged China to press Russia to end the war and make peace with Ukraine.
He echoed US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s concerns about “overcapacity”. There the comparisons dwindle.
Scholz, with ministers and captains of industry in tow, made it clear Germany was following its new strategy of “de-risking” but not decoupling.
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Why the EU, US are concerned about China’s overcapacity
He emphasised there was room to improve upon the US$207 billion in annual trade between the two countries. Chinese vehicle sales were welcome, he said, but competition between carmakers must be “open and fair” and dumping must be avoided.
President Xi Jinping sought to reassure Scholz that their two countries had “no fundamental conflicts of interest” and could work out their differences.
