Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) set off on Saturday for a three-day visit to China. First he visits Chongqing, a metropolis on the Yangtze River, which is considered the largest city in the world with around 32 million inhabitants.
We then move on to the economic and financial center of Shanghai and finally to the political talks in Beijing on Tuesday. The Chancellor is accompanied by a dozen top managers. These include the CEOs of the car manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and BMW as well as the chemical company BASF. This is the Chancellor's second trip to China since taking office in December 2021. His inaugural visit in November 2022 was only a day trip due to the ongoing corona pandemic. This time he is taking three days - more than ever before for a single country on a trip. The main topics are likely to include economic cooperation, efforts to end Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, tensions between China and Taiwan and climate protection. These also include the oppression of Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang.