Olaf Scholz makes controversial visit to China against the backdrop of the economy

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited China and was received by President Xi Jinping as part of an intense agenda that lasted only a few hours. The reason for the German leader's trip was mainly economic, but there was some reticence due to the political nature of the meeting, given the Asian country's current geopolitical position and its ambiguous stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Berlin is seeking investment from Beijing at a time when it is not easy to define a diplomatic relationship with China, which has just strengthened the power of President Xi Jinping after the recent Congress of the Communist Party of China.

In addition to the economic issue, the two leaders logically discussed the war in Ukraine. Berlin and Beijing consider Russian threats with nuclear weapons to be 'unacceptable', but in the face of the West's strong rejection of Russia's invasion of Ukrainian territory, China has shown greater ambiguity and even closeness to Vladimir Putin's regime, with which it even sealed several trade agreements a few months ago. 

Olaf Scholz made an express visit. He spent two hours with President Xi Jinping, one hour with Premier Li Keqiang and another hour with the German business community in Beijing; the German chancellor was accompanied on his trip by a delegation of high-ranking German businessmen, a sign of the importance of the German expedition to China. Of the 23 trips German chancellors have made to China since the two countries established bilateral relations in 1972, none has been as short but intense as Olaf Scholz's trip to Beijing. Nor has any before been surrounded by so much controversy. 

Olaf Scholz was the first G7 leader to be invited by Xi Jinping since the pandemic and just after the Chinese Communist Party Congress, which consolidated the Chinese president's unique leadership of the Asian giant. Just at a time when there are a number of global political problems that make dealing with China more difficult now than in previous years.

President Xi Jinping said Scholz's visit "strengthens the practical cooperation" between Berlin and Beijing. "At present, the international situation is complex and fluid. As influential powers, China and Germany should unite and work together in times of turmoil, and make more contributions to world peace and development," the Chinese leader said upon receiving Scholz, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, which also quoted the German chancellor as telling the Chinese leader that he wanted to "further develop" economic cooperation with Beijing, despite "different points of view".

After the meeting with Xi Jinping, the chancellor took part in a press conference with Premier Li Keqiang. In this media appearance, Olaf Scholz called on China to use its influence on Russia to put an end to the war in Ukraine. "China has a responsibility for peace in the world. It is important for China to exert its influence on Russia," the German chancellor said. "The governments in Beijing and Berlin also agree that Russian threats with nuclear weapons are unacceptable," he said.

Meanwhile, Li Keqiang continued to maintain the official Chinese discourse since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. "We hope the crisis will end as soon as possible. We must not allow any escalation. We do not want world peace and regional stability to be violated," he explained. 

The leaders of Germany and China reviewed bilateral relations and other international issues such as the fight against climate change and the situation in East Asia, as well as references to the war in Ukraine. 

Olaf Scholz has been criticised internationally, including within his own government, for this visit to China. Meanwhile, Scholz's entourage described the chancellor's visit as an "exploratory trip".

The visit had a particularly economic slant, seeking to develop further financial and trade ties. But analysts fear that this could lead to dependence on China, which has played an ambiguous role in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has even shown a certain closeness to Vladimir Putin's regime, with which it sealed a number of economic agreements a few months ago. A dependence that could reach the same level as that which the German country acquired with Russia in relation to the gas sector.

As an extension of the Chinese government, state-owned enterprises target major industries around the world and create dependencies through their investments, giving them the option to exert political pressure, as was the case with gas and Russia, according to Al Ain News. 

In the agreement to form the ruling coalition in Germany, the parties agreed to develop a new strategy for China, after the bad experience of energy dependence on Russia. In this vein, Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister and Scholz's government partner, explained that Germany should no longer be dependent on any country that "does not share our values". "Such mistakes should not be made twice," she said, even insisting on changes in German policy towards China, because "the Chinese political system has changed drastically in recent years and therefore our policy towards China must also change".

Baerbock's position has been understood as a veiled criticism of Olaf Scholz's visit to China, especially given the differences between the two countries over the war in Ukraine.

Geopolitics expert Ulrich Speck criticised Scholz's strategy and his visit to China on Twitter, calling it a dangerous idea that 'when Westerners believe that by giving Russia and China what they want (control over other countries), or at least a part of it, we will reach a new stable world balance'.