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Angela Merkel is the first Western official to visit China since the protests began in Hong Kong. The German Chancellor was eagerly awaited on this issue even though her trip is primarily focused on bilateral economic relations. On the first day of her trip, Angela Merkel spoke about the situation in the autonomous territory.
From our correspondent in Berlin , Pascal Thibaut
" The rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong must be guaranteed. Solutions can only be found in the dialog. Everything must be done to avoid violence . Angela Merkel spoke about the situation in the autonomous territory after an interview in Beijing with Prime Minister Li Keqiang .
The German Chancellor, who makes her twelfth official trip to China since she took office, is the first Western leader to visit Beijing since the protests began in Hong Kong. Like other countries, Germany has been very cautious in recent weeks. The approach of this trip to China helped to increase the pressure on the Chancellor. In an open letter published Wednesday in the daily " Bild Zeitung ", pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong called Angela Merkel for help. The most famous figure of this movement Joshua Wong will be next week in Berlin.
The Chancellor has met in the past during previous trips to China opponents, most often women imprisoned dissidents . A meeting with activists from Hong Kong is not on the agenda of the current trip.
Many opposition politicians in Germany had also asked before the Chancellor left to discuss the sensitive issue of Hong Kong. It was therefore difficult for the person concerned not to do so. The main purpose of this trip is primarily economic. Eleven cooperation agreements were signed this Friday with companies such as Airbus, Siemens and BMW.
We must find a political solution through dialogue
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany 06/09/2019 - by Vincent Souriau Play