Seldom has a trip by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) been so much a topic of conversation before it even begins.

Even more: before it is even officially confirmed.

The Chancellor's public calendar only extends into the coming week.

But the news also got around: At the beginning of November, Scholz wants to set off for China, as the first head of government from the group of G-7 countries since the beginning of the corona pandemic.

And he probably doesn't fly alone: ​​As on the numerous trips to China made by his predecessor Angela Merkel (CDU), Scholz reportedly wants to travel to Beijing with a business delegation.

No matter how much the world is changing, some things don't change.

It is not yet known who belongs to Scholz's delegation.

The list of participants is still in progress.

The bosses of Mercedes, Daimler Truck and Bosch should probably not be there, it has been heard.

Those who end up flying are probably hoping, like the Chancellor, for an indication of whether President Xi Jinping wants to lead China further into isolation, as in previous years, or open it up more to the world again.

The 20th Congress of the Communist Party, which begins this Sunday in Beijing and ends shortly before Scholz's visit, could send out a signal.

Will the course change with Wang Yang?

A few days ago it was announced that Wang Yang, a member of the seven-strong Standing Committee, who is considered comparatively “liberal” in China, could be appointed the new prime minister at the congress.

This would make him officially responsible for the economy.

The stock market index CSI-300 then rose by 3 percent.

Deputy Prime Minister Hu Chunhua is also given a chance at the post.

He is also seen as more pro-business than President Xi Jinping.

If both cadres got into important positions, it could be an indication that the party "could take a more pragmatic course, at least on the economic front," says China scholar Minxin Pei, who researches in America.

Above all, this means the hope that after the party congress the country’s strict zero-Covid policy will be relaxed, private companies will be given more leeway and the growing influence of the state on business and science will decrease again.

However, because the previous Prime Minister Li Keqiang was also considered to be business-friendly, but Xi Jinping had assigned him an extra role, given the concentration of power on Xi Jinping, there are low expectations that there will be a decisive change in course.

As can be heard, the Chinese side is said to have suggested in the meantime that Chancellor Scholz should not be received in Beijing but at another location in China.

The news of a state visit to the capital could have been interpreted as the end of the zero-Covid policy.

Now the tour group should be strictly shielded.

The European Chamber of Commerce recently warned that China had already lost its “appeal as an investment location” in view of the ongoing travel restrictions and lockdowns.

It is considered certain that Xi will receive a third term as party and state leader at the congress, even if his record is anything but good.

The World Bank forecasts that China will grow by just 2.8 percent this year.

Youth unemployment is around 20 percent, meaning that 20 million Chinese aged 16 to 24 are unemployed in the cities.