A lightning visit.. and inconclusive results
Germany is keen to strengthen its relations with China, despite the American concern
Schultz, during his meeting with Xi, tried to deviate from the US stance towards China.
Reuters
China remains Germany's largest trading partner.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in China on November 4, where he met his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in the first visit by a Western official to Beijing since the Corona pandemic, in a journey that took only 11 hours, which is the shortest trip by a German leader to China. .
This visit comes in light of the exacerbation of tension in Western-Chinese relations.
Motives for Schultz's visit
The main goals and motives of Schultz's visit to Beijing are as follows:
1- Retreat from anti-Chinese
Schulz indicated in a press article published in "Politico" prior to his visit to Beijing, that "if China changes, then German relations with China must change as well."
Even in light of the changing circumstances, China remains an important trading partner for Germany and Europe, which cannot be separated from it, which is evidenced by the German tendency towards strengthening relations with China.
Such an approach would also represent a retreat from the policy announced by Berlin by its Foreign Minister, Analina Berbock, who confirmed that she is seeking to formulate a new strategy towards China, in contrast to the appeasement approach of the former German Chancellor, Anguilla Merkel.
This policy would have been expected to be more anti-Chinese on the grounds that, immediately after taking office, Burbock described Beijing as a "systematic opponent" of Berlin.
2- Emphasis on Berlin's independence
Schulz was keen to get rid of the dependence on the American position in terms of foreign policy towards China, by opening up relations with it on pragmatic bases and in a way that serves German interests.
Despite this, Schulz insisted that his visit to Beijing came in consultation with European partners, and that he was visiting China as a European official, not just a German official.
3- Strengthening economic relations
One of the most important motives for German reliance on partnership with China is the crisis economic situation that Germany is witnessing, which prompted it to work on developing cooperation with China at this time, given the German economy’s need for that economic partnership, in light of the specter of recession that the German economy is facing due to the high Energy prices in light of the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
During his meeting with President Xi, Scholz stressed that he seeks to develop economic relations between the two countries, as well as enhance cooperation on other important issues, such as climate change, food security, heavily indebted countries, new energy, artificial intelligence, and digitization.
Evidence for the tyranny of economic considerations is the nature of the delegation that accompanied Schultz. The delegation included about 12 executive directors of major German companies, in the fields of medicine, energy, industry, cars, and others.
China is Germany's largest trade and investment partner, as the volume of trade exchange reached more than 245 billion euros in 2021. There are also German investments in various sectors in China.
In September 2022, the BASF chemical group opened a factory in southern China, with total investments amounting to about 10 billion euros by 2030. This is in addition to German investments in the automotive field, especially with the concentration of about 40% of Volkswagen’s sales. German in China.
It should be noted that the company refused to close its factory in Xinjiang, following the international condemnation of human rights violations in the region.
The company is planning a major software joint venture with Chinese technology company Horizon Robotics, with an investment of two billion euros.
Strategic and symbolic connotations
It was clear that the meeting between President Xi and Chancellor Schulz bore many connotations, which can be detailed as follows:
1- German blessing of Xi's reign
Schulz's visit came shortly after President Xi assumed China's third term as president.
He is also the first European leader to visit China after the 20th CPC Congress.
It is noted that the visit to Beijing came despite Western criticism of President Xi, and fears of his adopting hard-line policies, internally and externally, in addition to Washington's efforts to pressure the European Union to adopt more severe stances towards China, especially with regard to its policies towards Taiwan.
Washington also wants Western investments in China to decline, in order to weaken the Chinese economy and thus slow Beijing's rise to the ranks of major powers.
2- Beijing's desire to neutralize American influence
Xi stressed the importance of mutual respect between the two countries, along with their keenness on joint resistance, rejecting criticism and interference against their partnership, while working to maintain the existence of direct channels of communication between them, in an indication that Beijing wants Sino-German relations not to be affected by Washington's policies towards Beijing, especially with The United States is keen to put pressure on European countries to adopt hostile stances towards China.
3- Berlin's focus on human rights aspects
Scholz announced, before his arrival in China, that he was going to raise some "difficult" issues with his Chinese counterpart, including respect for civil liberties and the rights of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, as well as stressing the freedom and fairness of international trade.
Schultz also held talks with anti-China rights activists ahead of his tour.
Confirming the German rejection of many Chinese practices and violations.
Not to mention his emphasis on the importance of exchanging views and communicating with the Chinese side on contentious issues between them.
On the other hand, China warned against any interference in its internal affairs, and rejected any accusations leveled against it related to human rights and internal conditions, according to what was reported by Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, which means that Beijing refuses to come to an understanding on these issues with Berlin.
4- Schultz's attempt to condemn Russia
Schulz confirmed that he succeeded in pushing Beijing to take a hard line towards Russia, by confirming that the two countries agreed to oppose any use of nuclear weapons in the Russian-Ukrainian war, which carries an implicit condemnation of Moscow, on the grounds that it is the one that possesses nuclear weapons and threatens to use them. The Chinese narrative, however, was less critical of Russia, noting that Xi had assured Schulz that the international community should oppose the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, and play a role in preventing a nuclear crisis in Eurasia.
Schultz also called on his Chinese counterpart to use his country's influence to put pressure on Russia.
It is not expected that Berlin will have succeeded in this endeavor, especially since Beijing adopts the Russian version of the conflict, which blames the outbreak of the war on the United States and its efforts to extend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to the Russian borders.
Internal and Western divisions
This visit provoked many reactions, and carried with it many indications and repercussions, perhaps the most prominent of which are:
1- Contradictions of the German government coalition
Schulz adopts an approach to strengthening economic and trade relations with China in a pragmatic manner, while the members of the government coalition escalate concerns about the increasing dependence of German industries on China to the extent that threatens the independence of the German economy, in a repetition of the policy of the former German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who refused Reducing the German economy's dependence on Russian energy resources.
And the German Foreign Minister expressed this position, as she indicated that the mistakes that were made in the past in the relationship with Russia should be avoided in dealing with China.
This is in addition to the opposition parties' rejection of this approach in relations with China, such as the Christian Democratic Union.
Disagreements within the German government recently escalated over the effect of allowing the Chinese shipping company “COSCO” to buy a share in the container terminal in the port of Hamburg, for fear of the Chinese acquisition of Germany’s strategic infrastructure. ministers, and allowed the company to acquire a minority stake.
On the other hand, economic and intelligence warnings within Germany increased about the dangers of increasing economic dependence on China for export and for raw materials and rare earth materials, which China dominates in its exports, but the warnings of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (led by the Green Party) as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not discourage the government led by Schulz, and with him the German industrial complex, for moving forward in strengthening relations with China.
2- Possible European-American divisions
Some estimates indicate that the German-Chinese rapprochement may harm Germany's relationship with the United States at a time when the differences between the American and Chinese poles are escalating, in the framework of the growing technological war between them and the conflict over Taiwan, given that the German moves come in a way that contradicts the American directions, which may expose Germany under US pressure to restrict its relations with China.
This visit may prompt other European leaders to take similar steps and enhance rapprochement with China, such as French President Emmanuel Macron. According to Rowetz, Macron suggested accompanying Schultz on that visit to give an impression of the unity of the European Union, but Schulz rejected the proposal.
Economic cost
Schulz's visit to Beijing reflects Berlin's desire not to identify with the US policy aimed at anti-China, given the inability of the German economy to bear such a rupture with Beijing, especially after Berlin paid a high economic cost due to its tendency to reduce dependence on Russian energy resources in the wake of Ukrainian war.
Schultz was keen to talk about a Chinese position rejecting Russia's use of nuclear weapons in an attempt to find acceptance for his visit in the West on the grounds that he succeeded in influencing the Chinese position on Moscow, albeit in a limited way, and then absorbing internal and Western criticism of his visit to Beijing.
• Schulz was keen to get rid of dependence on the US position in terms of foreign policy towards China, by opening up relations with it on pragmatic bases and in a way that serves German interests.
• Increased economic and intelligence warnings inside Germany of the dangers of increasing economic dependence on China for export and to obtain raw materials and rare earth materials, whose exports China dominates.
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