German Foreign Minister Clarifies: It's a Postponement, Not a Cancellation, Will Contact China as Soon as Possible and Reschedule the Itinerary

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had originally planned to visit China on October 26, but canceled the trip at the last minute, causing widespread concern in Germany.

According to Reuters and AFP, on the 27th local time, Baerbock stated that she plans to "contact China as soon as possible" and reschedule her visit to China. When talking about the cancellation of the previous trip, she explained, "It was just postponed, not canceled."

"For the German government, it is clear that we maintain a long-term good relationship with China," Baerbock said in an interview. "We are always ready for dialogue with China."

In the interview, Baerbock also spoke again about the rare earth issue. After China introduced new restrictions on rare earth exports, EU countries have been in a difficult situation.

Baerbock said that the EU must diversify its suppliers of key minerals and components to reduce risks. She also said, "At the same time, we are committed to ensuring fair trade with China in all areas, including rare earths and chips. We still commit to this fair exchange and fair trade and believe that we can find partners in Beijing."

According to German media, the deputy spokesperson of the German government, Stephan Mayer, stated that day that he believed the postponement would "not have a significant impact on the government's policy," and emphasized that Germany still has an interest in "respectful and good communication" with China. He added that Germany hopes to continue close cooperation, and China is an indispensable partner. "Clearly, both China and Germany need this cooperation."

Mayer also said that this change would not affect Chancellor Scholz's visit plan, and Scholz is also about to visit China. He stated that there are no "preconditions" requiring the foreign minister to visit China before the chancellor.

The report said that Baerbock had originally planned to start her visit to China on Sunday (October 26). She was expected to be the first minister from the Scholz government to visit China. Among those accompanying Baerbock were the president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), and the managing director of German rare earth importer Noble Elements.

Before the trip, Baerbock said in an interview that one of the goals of her trip was to persuade China to relax the export restrictions on key minerals.

She also made remarks about the Taiwan Strait, claiming that if free flow "becomes impossible due to violent conflict, it will have an impact on the prosperity of many regions around the world." She said that Germany will remain firm in its One-China policy, "which also includes the need to avoid violent changes to the status quo."

In response, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Guo Jiancong, said that merely stating the maintenance of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, without mentioning opposition to "Taiwan independence," actually amounts to condoning and supporting "Taiwan independence" activities, which will severely impact the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese side hopes that Germany strictly adheres to the One-China principle, clearly opposes any "Taiwan independence" separatist acts.

However, on the 24th, Baerbock suddenly canceled her visit to China. A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry attributed this to "the inability to arrange enough meetings in China at the moment." The public believes that this indicates the rising tensions between the two sides on trade and security issues.

Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1847187939270666/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.