On Tiananmen Square, the cannons pop this Friday. Salute shots are fired at the German national anthem, and it sounds as if the Chinese hosts were trying to fire their volleys in time with the German anthem. Opposite, in the courtyard of the Great Hall of the People, the Chancellor and China's Prime Minister Li Keqiang take the military honor formation.
For two days, Merkel travels to Beijing and the economic capital of Wuhan, it is her twelfth visit to China, and she has introduced an innovation: For the first time Merkel heard the national anthem while sitting, as recently on state visits in Germany, a new dither to prevent in the Chinese midday heat. Prime Minister Li Keqiang does not do her the favor, however, to stay seated: for the anthem of his country, Li stands up.
The Chancellor avoids public lessons on the subject of human rights
Apart from this small break in style, the Chinese hosts are clearly trying hard to warmly welcome Angela Merkel and her delegation of political advisors and business leaders - perhaps also in the certainty that Merkel would not overstrain her hospitality with overly sharp statements to the massive civil protest in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Merkel has already referred to the human rights situation on earlier visits - but the political situation has never been as heated as it is now, as in Hong Kong more than a million people have been taking to the streets against a new extradition law and the Chinese central government is overburdened with the crisis.
Even before the visit it became apparent that Merkel did not dodge the topic, but did not want to appear either pithy or patronizing. Although the protesters even addressed the Chancellor personally in a letter and drew parallels between their protests and the demonstrations of the GDR citizens before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Chancellor was convinced that she could do more with cautious initiatives behind the scenes than with public lessons.
For example, at the press conference with Li Keqiang, Merkel confines herself to expressing her hope that the conflict may be resolved non-violently, and that the Hong Kong government may enter into dialogue with the demonstrators within their "civil liberties."
Li, for the first time speaking publicly about the situation in Hong Kong, did not want to rule out China's military intervention. Beijing will support Hong Kong "within the law" in order to end "chaos" and restore order, he announced - the "wisdom" of it is possessed.
How nervous the Chinese leadership is in these days, shows how they deal with the Western media in Merkel's visit: only one question may Chinese and German media representatives in the "press conference" ask, as strict was the protocol rarely before. And the local correspondents of the German media did not want to allow the Chinese government until the press conference, only at the last minute were a few additional access cards for the appointment distributed.
For China, the Hong Kong conflict is in the worst possible position: In a few weeks, you want to celebrate yourself, the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic is imminent. In addition, China is deeply involved in a trade war with the US, which slows down the economy as much as it has for decades.
Merkel praises: "In China is built faster and sometimes more than ours"
The hosts would have been nervous and tense, report the traveling manager, had sent much higher-ranking ministers and officials than usual for business talks. Nevertheless, the German economy sees no benefit for itself from this weakening, but one fears to get into a "sandwich position" between China and the United States. Because in their trade war, the two world powers could develop apart technologically and regulatory - the business people call it "decoupling" - and Germany could be forced to opt for a model. But one wants to be able to work as an export nation with both trading powers.
The chief executives of Dax companies such as Siemens, Infineon, Deutscher Bank and Allianz are less worried about Hong Kong's civil rights than about the ongoing data theft and industrial espionage in China or about the cells that China's Communist ruling party has recently set up in its offices leaves. Or around the topic of "social credit system": By 2020, the government in Beijing wants to be able to rate private individuals and companies for their social and economic well-being - foreign investors fear that Beijing will then rule into their workforces. But the plans of the government are still very vague. Only when they are determined, the German economy wants to address the issue, delegation members reported, until then, one would rather "keep the powder dry".
Nevertheless, in the presence of Merkel and Li, eleven cooperation agreements are solemnly signed and both leaders are trying to flatter the other side for their successful economic policies. Merkel praises how quickly the Chinese are moving forward with their infrastructure projects: "China is building faster and partly more than ours." That the Chinese manufacturer CATL builds a battery cell factory in Thuringia for 1.8 billion euros and with 2,000 employees, "that is a new experience for us," says Merkel. Germany must accept that the Chinese are just further with some technologies.
China demands from Germany a stronger opening for investors
Li does not reach the Thuringian experiment for a long time. If China opens itself "of its own free will" for foreign investors, then Germany should do the "strong manufacturing country" the same, he demanded emphatically. The Chinese Prime Minister called on the German business delegation to address issues such as theft of trade secrets, but simply "contact the relevant authorities." Because: "We are on your side, not on the unfair competition."
As Merkel suddenly interrupts the Chinese prime minister: "Is everything okay with us? So on the state side, in Thuringia?" The Chinese are perplexed. But, yes, the boss of the battery cell company CATL hastens to say: Everything is wonderful.
