Olaf Scholz's China policy is under scrutiny: What is Olaf Scholz's relationship with Xi Jinping; what constitutes the China-Scholz relationship and how does it affect relations between China and Germany? The editors of Table.Briefings have all the China-Scholz news! Who is Olaf Scholz? Olaf Scholz is the Chancellor of Germany. He was born in Osnabrück in 1958 and spent his childhood and youth in Hamburg. Scholz joined the SPD at the age of 17 and began his political career. Other important stages of his career include: Even before his election as Federal Chancellor, Olaf Scholz had points of contact with China. For example, Hamburg and Shanghai have a city partnership, which Scholz continued to pursue during his term as mayor. Scholz also had contact with China as finance minister. This period was characterized by Donald Trump's "America First" policy, high punitive tariffs against China and China's attempts to make its economy less dependent on the US market. As Federal Chancellor, Scholz met Xi Jinping in November 2022. What is Olaf Scholz's China policy? Olaf Scholz's China policy is criticized. Despite growing reservations about China's authoritarian style of government and ongoing human rights violations, for example in Xinjiang, Scholz is committed to dialog with China. He wants to avoid decoupling China from Germany. Chancellor Scholz is therefore accused of continuing the China policy of "change through trade" pursued under Angela Merkel. Olaf Scholz's China stance was also evident in the decision to allow the Chinese state-owned shipping company Cosco to invest in the Port of Hamburg. Despite persistent criticism from academics and politicians, Scholz supported Cosco's participation in the Port of Hamburg. Scholz rejected the accusations that the decision would make him too dependent on China. Scholz made it clear that dependency on China can be achieved by diversifying trading partners in Asia, but that Germany should continue to hold on to China as an important trading partner. His trip to Asia in November 2022 underpins this Opinion. Olaf Scholz and Xi Jinping: What is the Scholz-Xi relationship like? Olaf Scholz and Xi Jinping met back in 2017 during the G20 summit in Hamburg. Scholz was acting in his role as Mayor of Hamburg at the time. Since the election of the German Chancellor in 2021, Xi and Scholz have only been able to meet once in person. The reason for this is the coronavirus pandemic and China's strict zero Covid restrictions. After Olaf Scholz took office, Xi Jinping made it clear that he hoped for a continuation of relations and a lasting good relationship between China and Germany. Under Angela Merkel, economic relations between China and Germany had been very fruitful. Xi also described Merkel as a "good friend". Olaf Scholz in China: What does Scholz hope to gain from his trip to China? Olaf Scholz's visit to China caused a furor. The first physical meeting between Olaf Scholz and Xi Jinping took place in China in November 2022 in connection with Olaf Scholz's trip to Asia. Xi had only recently been re-elected as General Secretary at the 20th Party Congress. The German Chancellor was the first European head of state to travel to China since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. China considered the visit a success. Scholz's trip to China had been heavily criticized. The reason for this was the composition of the delegation. As during Merkel's time in office, it only consisted of business representatives and no human rights representatives. The topics of the trip were the Russian war in Ukraine, climate change and economic cooperation. However, Olaf Scholz also addressed critical topics such as human rights and the Taiwan issue in his meeting with Xi Jinping. How will China-Germany relations develop under Scholz? Under Olaf Scholz as Chancellor, China-Germany relations will probably be less intensive than under Angela Merkel, as experts suspect. However, the motive is probably less political than economic. China is increasingly moving away from imports from abroad and is trying to focus on the domestic market with its "dual circulation strategy". Nevertheless, China and Germany are important trading partners. Olaf Scholz continues to focus on trade between China and Germany. However, there is growing public criticism of Germany's excessive dependence on autocratically governed countries such as Russia or China. However, Scholz is also in favor of diversifying relations with other South-East Asian countries in order to avoid dependencies. However, Olaf Scholz's position on China is also controversial within the governing coalition of the Greens, SPD and FDP. Robert Habeck of the Greens, Minister of Economic Affairs, has announced that he will distance himself from China on trade issues. The China strategy of the Foreign Ministry under Annalena Baerbock of the Greens also provides for more distance from China. China Scholz News Olaf Scholz is caught between the continuation of China policy to date and increasing criticism of excessive dependence on China. All China Scholz news and the impact this will have on relations between China and Germany are available from the China.Table editorial team.
Olaf Scholz: Ukraine war was inevitable
The former German Chancellor says that no one has been able to stop Putin from attacking Ukraine. In an interview with Table Briefings Editor Sebastian Turner, Scholz also expressed his position on a European army.
By Laura Block