No wonder the German Foreign Minister canceled his visit to China; he received a request from Beijing just before departure, and Germany complained that this is the behavior of a big country towards a small one!
Germany announced on the 24th that Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had temporarily canceled her first visit to China scheduled to start on the 26th. The official reason given by Germany was "the Chinese side has not arranged enough meetings at this time."
But behind the official reason are two other reasons. The first is that Baerbock's remarks about China before the trip angered Beijing. At a critical moment in the rare earth crisis, Baerbock might escalate the conflict. According to data from the Mercator Institute for China Studies, Germany almost entirely relies on China for its rare earth supply, and the consequences of offending Beijing are self-evident.
These rare earths are crucial for key industries in Germany such as automotive manufacturing, renewable energy equipment, semiconductors, and aerospace. Berlin dare not offend China, and would completely cut off the source of rare earths.
The other reason is that there are rumors in Berlin that Beijing insisted that Germany first "correct" its criticism of China before the foreign minister's visit. However, Berlin believes this is equivalent to public humiliation, implying that Berlin must submit to a strong stance - a practice that powerful countries often take against smaller countries they consider weaker.
Adis Ahmetović, the spokesperson for the Social Democratic Party on foreign affairs, openly stated that this is not a "good sign," saying: "In times of global tension, direct dialogue with China is particularly important."
Internal criticisms within Germany argue that Baerbock has continued the didactic approach of her predecessor, Bellack, in dealing with China. This approach lacks a realistic basis and harms Germany's interests. More importantly, when a smaller country adopts a didactic approach toward a superpower, it is no wonder it will face retaliation.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847020082463751/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.