As of: March 28, 2024, 5:21 a.m
By: Mike Schier
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Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) presents himself in China as a statesman of chancellor caliber. © Peter Kneffel/dpa
Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder is looking for a new role in China. The political powerhouse lacks a goal. Will he still have the chance to become chancellor?
Beijing
– The prospects are bad for Markus Söder. Then the Prime Minister heaved himself up the last knee-high steps onto the Chinese Wall. But what he sees above all is that he can't see anything. The wonder of the world lies shrouded in thick fog. At least the CSU boss has thought about some far-sighted ideas for this moment. “A wall has never really stopped anything,” he muses. Neither this wall here could stop Genghis Khan nor the GDR wall could stop freedom. And Donald Trump won't get very far with his wall either. “I've never been a fan of walls.” An astonishing sentence in this place.
It is the last day of Söder's trip to China. And probably their highlight. By meeting Prime Minister Li Qiang, China's number two, Söder can document Bavaria's importance. And his own. When Annalena Baerbock was a guest a year ago, she only met the Foreign Minister. Söder, on the other hand, is the first here. The first German Prime Minister since the pandemic. And he is here before Olaf Scholz, who is expected in four weeks. He coordinated with the Chancellor before the trip. Söder plays in the big game.
Söder on a state visit to China – Will Bavaria soon be too small for the Prime Minister?
The 57-year-old has been Prime Minister for almost exactly six years to the day - the office he had set his sights on as a young fan of Franz Josef Strauss. He wanted it badly and got it. After missing out on his candidacy for chancellor, he once again used all his strength to defend it. Even opponents were impressed by this brutal tour through beer tents and city festivals.
But now? Where to put all his strength? He lives in an unromantic marriage of convenience with Hubert Aiwanger. The coalition agreement largely sounds like “business as usual”. Quite a few observers have the impression that all of this is rather boring for the impatient Söder. Actually, Bavaria has long been too small for him. Of course, he himself disapproves of such theses.
And sometimes he clearly enjoys governing, especially when it comes to research and economic issues. He launched his high-tech agenda in 2019, and it will be expanded in the new legislature. Research on nuclear fusion. The first German AI university in Nuremberg. A lunar aerospace control center in Oberpfaffenhofen. This is fun for him.
Bavaria “on par” with China – Söder meets Prime Minister Li Quiang
And traveling, more recently. Israel, Sweden, Serbia, China. The next big trip to India is already being planned. Söder was actually never an enthusiastic foreign politician. In China, too, it takes a few days for him to find the right balance in his speeches. Here the opportunities for the economy, but there also the danger of one-sided German dependence, of economic espionage, unequal competitive conditions and human rights.
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After the meeting with the Prime Minister, Söder is in his element. It took 45 minutes. “We are already at eye level.” He, Prime Minister of 13 million Bavarians. Li Quiang of 1.4 billion Chinese. Two advances: He was committed to Bavarian agriculture; since the swine fever, exports to China have collapsed. “There is a lot of openness there.” At the same time, they want to attract more Chinese tourists to Bavaria. Ideas and concepts are developed. Söder is highly concentrated. It doesn't always seem like that these days.
K question in the Union – Söder is ready and in the headlines
After the meeting, the Prime Minister immediately took off his tie and put on his cardigan. This is also noticeable in Beijing. For a state visit - the delegation is kept small - it's remarkably casual. Subtext: Söder no longer has to prove anything to anyone. He knows the polls: According to the ZDF political barometer, 27 percent believe that the Union has the best chances with him as candidate for chancellor. Among Union supporters it is even 34 percent. The CSU leader is convinced that the CDU base is more conservative than its party executive. And that many would rather have him as a candidate. But he also knows the reality: everything points to Friedrich Merz.
But a decision will only be made after the state elections in the east. In autumn. In politics, that's still half an eternity. So Söder is ready – and in the headlines. With criticism of the traffic lights or small provocations such as the gender ban. In the Federal Council he also sometimes votes against the CDU. Little jokes about Hendrik Wüst and Daniel Günther are standard.
Söder opened a fortune cookie in China. “The will shapes people, but success requires courage and perseverance.” He immediately posted it enthusiastically on social media.
(MIke Schier)