Germany: Olaf Scholz on South American tour to strengthen ties
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz boards the Airbus A350 Konrad Adenauer plane, at the military section of Berlin-Brandenburg airport, this Saturday, January 28, 2023, heading to South America.
AP - Kay Nietfeld
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Olaf Scholz begins this Saturday, January 28 a five-day tour of Latin America focused on the economy.
Accompanied by a dozen business leaders, the German Chancellor goes first to Argentina, then to Chile, before ending with Brazil.
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These three large Latin American countries represent a market of approximately 278 million inhabitants.
They are therefore very attractive economically for Germany, which has lost the Russian market due to the war in Ukraine and which is seeking to reduce its heavy commercial dependence on China.
Especially since this region is very rich in essential raw materials, especially copper and lithium.
The latter, called the new white gold, is necessary for the production of batteries for electric vehicles.
The German Chancellor's tour is also expected to advance the
free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur
, made up of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Finalized in 2019, the agreement was never ratified due in particular to European concerns about the environmental policy of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
But the return of Lula da Silva to Brazil reassures Brussels.
The left-wing president, who presents himself as a defender of the environment, is committed to preserving the Amazon, the lungs of the planet.
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Olaf Scholz
Germany
Argentina
Alberto Fernández
Chile
Gabriel Boric
Brazil
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Diplomacy
Raw materials
Amazon
Mercosur