BEIJING (Dispatches) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the first visit by a leader of the Group of Seven (G7) nations to China in three years.
Leading a high-level business delegation to China on Friday, the German leader’s focus on boosting economic ties with Beijing has led to criticism of his apparent desire to strike deals with a nation growing more authoritarian under President Xi.
Scholz’s arrival in Beijing marked the first visit by a leader of the G7 – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and United States – since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.
Received by a smiling Xi at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Scholz said he hoped to “further develop” economic cooperation – while alluding to areas of disagreement.
“It is good that we are able to have an exchange here about all questions, including those questions where we have different perspectives – that’s what an exchange is for,” Scholz said.
“We also want to talk about how we can further develop our economic cooperation on other topics: climate change, food security, indebted countries,” he said.
Xi told Scholz that as large nations with influence, China and Germany should work together during “times of change and turmoil” for the sake of world peace.
Concerns regarding China ties have also been raised within Germany’s ruling coalition, with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock underlining that mistakes made in the past with Russia must not be repeated.
However, the leader of Europe’s top economy has defended his China visit by insisting that direct talks with Chinese leaders were “all the more important” after a long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We will not ignore controversies,” Scholz wrote in a recent newspaper column, pointing to thorny topics that could emerge in the talks, from respect for civil liberties to the rights of minorities in Xinjiang.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian warned on Friday, however, that the Chinese side was “opposed to interference in our internal affairs, and smearing us under the guise of discussing human rights issues.”
Zhao also emphasized that China was looking forward to a “successful” visit, and that “cooperation far exceeds competition” between the two countries.
The German and Chinese economies have also been described in Berlin as deeply intertwined, with some analysts regarding the relationship as particularly important as the European country, battling an energy crisis triggered by the Ukraine war, hurtles towards recession.
China is a major market for German goods, from machinery to vehicles made by the likes of Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Scholz’s visit -- coming on the heels of Xi securing a historic third term at a Communist Party Congress last month -- has also raised concerns that it may have unsettled the United States and the European Union.