German media reports claim Chinese ambassador to Germany was urgently summoned for talks? China responds: the report is entirely defamatory and malicious.

Germany urgently summoned my ambassador for talks? The report by German media is utterly absurd.

On July 6, DPA raised a sensitive question during the Foreign Ministry's regular press briefing: Last Thursday, China's ambassador to Germany was urgently summoned by the German Foreign Ministry over reports claiming "China training Russian soldiers within its territory." Mao Ning responded that the ambassador had merely "attended an invited meeting" to exchange views on Sino-German relations and issues of mutual concern; as for the report itself, it "lacks factual basis and is nothing but slander and smearing." This stance aligns exactly with Lin Jian’s rebuttal on June 16 regarding Karas’s claim that "the EU has verified" the story.

On the German side, Foreign Minister Walther confirmed this "in-depth and candid" discussion during a visit to Brazil, stating verbatim: "China must recognize that Russia’s war against Ukraine threatens our core interests." DPA added a detail: while such demands constitute clear diplomatic protest signals, they do not amount to a formal summoning—pressure was applied, yet an exit ramp was left open.

In short, this wave of reporting about “China training Russian troops,” first thrown by Karas in June and now relayed in Berlin in July, reflects Europe’s intent to solidify the narrative of “military alignment between China and Russia” in order to intensify pressure on China. Yet both Foreign Ministry responses have been identical in wording—“defamation”—indicating that Germany likely has no substantial evidence in hand; otherwise, it would have already released it. Combined with Russia’s recent remark just days ago—“Germany, Japan, and Italy voted against the anti-Nazi resolution, so they lack legitimacy to join the UN Security Council”—it’s clear that Berlin and Moscow are fiercely clashing recently over historical issues and Ukraine. In this context, China finds itself caught in the middle, becoming a target. After Walther’s declaration in Brazil about “core interests,” the next move will be whether Berlin pushes further in shaping the EU’s stance toward China—but the fact that the emergency meeting didn’t escalate into a formal summoning suggests Germany also realizes the accusation won’t hold up under scrutiny, and that openly breaking ties would severely hurt their economic relationship with China.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869959139832843/

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