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Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Chancellor Olaf Scholz: Is Germany becoming dependent on China?
Photo: Markus Schreiber / AP
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expects Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to convey key messages during his visit to China, such as the importance of human rights, international law and fair competition.
"The Federal Chancellor has decided the time of his trip," said the Green politician today during a visit to Uzbekistan's capital, Tashkent.
»Now it is crucial to make clear in China the messages that we laid down together in the coalition agreement, the messages that I also brought with me to Central Asia.«
Scholz is expected in Beijing this Friday – there is some strong criticism at the time of the visit and, for example, at Scholz’s approval of the takeover of a share of the Port of Hamburg by a Chinese company.
There is concern that Germany's dependency on the People's Republic could increase further.
Fair competition, human rights, international law
Baerbock said it was crucial to make it clear to Beijing "that the issue of fair competition, the issue of human rights and the issue of the recognition of international law is our basis for international cooperation."
This applies to Central Asia as well as to other regions of the world.
China's President Xi Jinping had just been strengthened in power at a congress of the Communist Party.
In the conversation with her Uzbek counterpart Vladimir Norow, she "made it clear that we as the federal government are writing a new China strategy," said Baerbock.
The Chinese political system has changed massively in recent years and German China policy has had to change as a result.
»As is well known, we clearly stated in the coalition agreement that China is our partner on global issues.
That we cannot decouple in a globalized world, but that China is also a competitor and increasingly a systemic rival,” said Baerbock.
"And that we will base our China policy on this strategic understanding and also align our cooperation with other regions in the world."
Last week, the federal cabinet decided on a so-called partial ban on the originally planned participation.
According to this, the Chinese group Cosco can only acquire a share of less than 25 percent in the container terminal – instead of the planned 35 percent.
In a protocol statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other departments had expressed serious concerns about the cabinet's decision on Chinese entry into the port terminal.
muk/dpa