On October 27 local time, just three days after German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock temporarily canceled her visit to China, she quickly changed her attitude when interviewed by Reuters and AFP.

She not only clearly stated that she plans to "contact China as soon as possible," but also specifically emphasized that the previous visit to China was "only postponed, not canceled," and will be rescheduled.

This rather hasty "rectification" has exposed Germany's contradictory mindset in its relationship with China, on one hand, economic dependence on China is high.

On the other hand, it wants to show a "tough stance" towards China, eventually falling into an embarrassing situation of "actively provoking and then actively easing tensions" under domestic and international pressures.

From the beginning, Baerbock had the wrong posture. Although there was a need for China, she still wanted to act "superiorly", made comments on the Taiwan Strait, and criticized China's position on the Ukraine issue.

Additionally, while Germany wants China to ease the supply of rare earths, it simultaneously pushes the EU to use the "Anti-Coercion Instrument Act" against China, trying to force China to yield through trade pressure.

This arrogance and pressure stance naturally won't be accepted by China, but Baerbock hasn't realized the problem yet.

Just 48 hours before the trip, he suddenly canceled the itinerary citing that "China did not arrange enough meetings," treating diplomacy like a tool for throwing a tantrum.

It must be said that since Merkel left, Germany has gradually lost its autonomy in foreign affairs, becoming a vassal of the United States, acting like a comic character on the international stage, and even wanting to take a share at the table, not realizing that it has already become "a dish" on the menu.

Getting back to the main point, this German foreign minister probably didn't expect that China would not react much, but the domestic media in Germany exploded.

German media directly described it as a "super diplomatic disaster" and a "disastrous moment for Sino-German relations."

The foreign spokesperson of the Social Democratic Party openly pointed out that the current global situation is already tense, and canceling the visit to China at the last minute sends a bad signal to the outside world, and called on the government to re-examine and adjust its strategy towards China.

Compared to the criticism from the political circle, the reaction from the business community in Germany was more anxious.

The general manager of a German goods trading company who was originally going to visit China with Baerbock frankly said that using political means to provoke trade conflicts would ultimately destroy economic prosperity, and such practices are fundamentally not in Germany's actual interests.

After all, the pillar industries such as automobiles and chemicals rely entirely on the Chinese market and supply chain, and if cooperation is affected due to this diplomatic mistake, the consequences would be unimaginable.

It is precisely under such internal and external pressures that Baerbock had to bow down and "make amends", hoping that China would not hold a grudge.

At the same time, the deputy spokesperson of the German government also came out quickly to "put out the fire", emphasizing that China is an indispensable partner for Germany, and specially clarified that the change in the itinerary would not affect the subsequent visit of Chancellor Scholz to China, obviously trying to stabilize the basic framework of Sino-German relations as soon as possible and prevent the situation from further escalating.

However, this kind of operation of "actively provoking first, then urgently covering up" is not easily accepted by China.

If Baerbock wants to restart the visit to China, she must first face several realities: the Taiwan issue is China's internal affair, and no external interference is allowed; the control of rare earth exports is a reasonable measure for China to safeguard national interests, and there is no "unfairness", and Germany must abandon double standards; the basis of Sino-German cooperation is mutual respect, and it cannot "want cooperation on one side and act behind the scenes on the other".

In summary, diplomacy is never about political showmanship. Ultimately, it should serve national interests. Relying solely on "stubbornness" cannot maintain a posture. The essence of power dialogue is equality and respect.

China has never lacked the sincerity to cooperate, but this sincerity is only given to partners who understand respect and uphold a pragmatic attitude.

If Germany continues to hold an arrogant attitude, even if it rearranges the visit to China, it will be difficult to push Sino-German relations forward genuinely.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7566102962821448201/

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