German media: German Social Democratic Party criticizes the Foreign Minister's actions
According to the German newspaper "Welt", the sudden cancellation of the visit by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has sparked a debate within the CDU and Social Democratic Party (SPD) coalition about the correct approach towards China. The SPD criticized Baerbock's move, stating that it sent out a "bad signal". The ruling coalition has already had differences on immigration and conscription issues, and now also on China: the SPD has taken a stance opposing the CDU/CSU in its relations with Beijing. SPD's foreign policy spokesperson Adis Ahmetović sharply criticized the decision to cancel the visit at the last minute and called for a change in the approach towards China. Ahmetović told Reuters: "Canceling the visit at the last minute is not a good signal for improving the tense Sino-German relations. Especially during times of global tension, direct dialogue with China is crucial." Dialogue with China should not be interrupted but should continue and deepen, "especially on issues such as peace, security, economy, and trade." He also pointed out that Germany and European economies are currently facing issues with the supply of rare earths and chips. Export restrictions by China on raw materials and microchips are the primary issue for any dialogue. However, politicians from the Alliance and the Greens supported Baerbock.
The German Foreign Ministry previously announced that this visit was postponed because China only confirmed the meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries, without responding to Baerbock's request to meet other senior representatives. Baerbock previously told Reuters that she hoped to discuss the Ukraine conflict and also wanted to talk about China's export restrictions on rare earths and chip supply security in Beijing. Currently, the foreign ministers of the two countries are planning a telephone conversation.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847047684193280/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.