Scholz and key cabinet ministers will meet with their Chinese counterparts, led by Premier Li Qiang, for bilateral government consultations in Berlin on June 20, two people briefed on the plans told POLITICO. A third person warned, however, that the date and format of the talks could still change.
If confirmed, the high-level German-Chinese talks will take place about a week before a key summit of EU leaders on June 29-30, where EU-China relations will be high on the agenda, as announced the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, this week. EU foreign ministers will also discuss relations with China at an informal meeting in Sweden on May 12.
Germany hopes to use the talks with China to dissuade Beijing from escalating tensions over Taiwan, which Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said earlier this month would be a “horror scenario”. Berlin also wants Beijing to end its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Economically, with China being Germany’s most important trading partner, Scholz’s government wants to further open up the Chinese market to foreign investment, especially as German car manufacturers try to play a bigger role in the Chinese market. electric vehicles, which is growing rapidly. Scholz said he wanted German businesses to “de-risk” China by diversifying supply chains, but resisted US calls to reduce economic ties with Asia’s most powerful country.
Baerbock warned during his recent trip to China that Germany, as well as China, would be particularly affected by escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait, as about 50% of world trade and 70% of global semiconductor production are transported through the these waters.
Berlin also wants to get China, which is responsible for nearly a third of global carbon dioxide emissions, to take a more ambitious role in combating climate change.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner plans to travel to China in early May to discuss financial cooperation ahead of the G7 finance ministers’ meeting in Japan on May 11-13.
The German government is also drafting its first China strategy, but the document may be delayed until after government consultations with China, officials say.
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