German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s one-day visit to Beijing yielded nothing, as no trade agreements were signed or major international deals cut, writes ERR News.
Before the visit to Beijing, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz received criticism about the means of the visit and more. The question of whether selling a portion of the sea port of Hamburg to Chinese container giant Cosco was a good deed is also on a daily agenda. Scholz has said that the visit has nothing to do with the harbor deal, but his partners in the coalition are not so sure.
Politicians in Germany are expressing doubts about China’s good intentions and warning about the dangers it may bring. This Chinese investment in the sea port of Hamburg disproportionally expands China’s influence in German and European infrastructure.
Kristi Raik, director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute at the ICDS, said that the visit has done more harm than good to Europe-China relations. Germany must consider how to decrease its dependence on China’s goods and products. She said: «There is widespread consensus that a complete break in trade relations is impossible and not something the German economy would survive. But it has been suggested that Germany should consider what are its more important and more vulnerable sectors in which dependence on China should be minimized, including critical infrastructure, technology, metallurgy, and the medical sector that are especially sensitive and where dependence is high.»
The expert also mentioned that there is a possibility to reconsider Europe’s climate goals. Since the most of metals used to manufacture more climate-friendly vehicles come from China, Europe is balancing on thin ice. We need those metals, but we can’t ignore the possibility that Beijing may use force toward Taiwan. In that case, Europe would have to postpone climate goals to stand by its values.
Also, Kristi Raik admitted that Europe’s bonds with China create tensions in transatlantic relations with the U.S..
Expert: Scholz’ Beijing visit splits Europe
