【By Observer News, Qi Qian】
Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock temporarily canceled her visit to China, causing widespread concern. This comes at a time when Sino-EU trade relations have become tense due to issues such as rare earths and NXP Semiconductor, with the German society worrying about further economic damage to the country.
According to a report by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post on October 30, the Merkel government has decided to send someone to deal with the "mess."
Multiple sources said that from November 17 to 19, Germany's Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz will chair talks between his Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Chinese representatives in Beijing, continuing the long-standing tradition of dialogue between the two sides.
It is revealed that Scholz is expected to raise a series of EU concerns during the talks, including restrictions on the export of key materials like rare earths.
Photo of Germany's Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz
Baerbock and Merkel both belong to the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Reuters previously reported that overall, since taking office as Foreign Minister in May, Baerbock's stance towards China has been more hardline compared to the Social Democratic Party.
Scholz is the leader of the SPD and serves as Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister in Merkel's federal government.
However, the South China Morning Post mentioned that, like current officials in the German federal government, Scholz also commented on China's rare earth policy. He recently claimed in Washington that the G7 had clearly stated, "We do not agree with China's approach." He also said: "We are closely monitoring the situation and are doing everything we can politically to prevent further tension between China and the US."
According to reports, Baerbock originally planned to lead a delegation to China starting on October 26. She was to be the first minister from the Merkel government to visit China, and one of the goals of the trip was to persuade China to relax export restrictions on key minerals. At the last minute, she also made remarks about the Taiwan Strait issue.
Regarding this, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jia Kun, responded earlier that saying only to maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait but not opposing "Taiwan independence" essentially amounts to condoning and supporting "Taiwan independence" activities, which would seriously impact the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. The hope is that Germany strictly adheres to the One-China Principle and clearly opposes any "Taiwan independence" secessionist acts.
However, on the 24th, Baerbock temporarily canceled her visit to China. The German Foreign Office spokesperson attributed this to "not being able to arrange enough meetings in China." The public believes this indicates that the tension between the two sides on trade and security issues is increasing.
The report states that the German Chamber of Commerce (AHK) in Greater China postponed the high-level Sino-German business event, the Fourth Sino-German Economic Conference, originally scheduled for November 19 to 21 in Suzhou, citing "organizational reasons." Previously, the German Chamber of Commerce expressed regret over Baerbock's canceled trip, stating that companies need more clarity on bilateral issues.
Screen capture of Germany's new Foreign Minister Baerbock speaking
After Baerbock temporarily canceled her visit to China, it caused general anxiety in German society, worried that this would escalate tensions and harm the German economy.
On the 25th, Adis Ahmetovic, the foreign affairs spokesperson for the SPD, bluntly said, "This is not a good sign." He called on Germany to rethink its China strategy, emphasizing the need for a more positive and strategic foreign policy than ever before.
Germany is the largest economy in Europe, while China is the largest economy in Asia, and this year China has once again become Germany's largest trading partner.
According to preliminary official statistics from Germany, China replaced the United States as Germany's largest trading partner this year. Between January and August, Sino-German trade reached 163.4 billion euros, slightly higher than the 162.8 billion euros between Germany and the United States. The main reason for the change is that the U.S. reactivated its tariff policy, leading to a decline in Germany's exports to the U.S., while Germany's imports from China increased significantly. Germany's economy has been in contraction for the third consecutive year.
Currently, the supply of rare earths and the NXP Semiconductor issue have seriously affected the European automotive industry, causing unease among EU member states.
Not long ago, the Dutch government caused a major incident by seizing a Chinese-controlled enterprise, resulting in supply disruptions and a "earthquake" in the global automotive supply chain, affecting car manufacturers in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. The German automotive industry heavily relies on chips produced by NXP Semiconductor. It is reported that each car may be equipped with up to 500 of these chips, which are the control core of various vehicle systems, such as controlling the opening of headlights and the folding of rearview mirrors.
On the evening of the 29th, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association warned that the NXP Semiconductor crisis will cause "imminent disruption" to the European automotive industry. The association's director-general, Sigrid De Vries, stated: "The industry is consuming inventory reserves, but supplies are rapidly decreasing. A survey this week showed that some companies are about to stop production. Although there are alternative suppliers, increasing the required additional capacity takes several months."
Facing the trouble he caused, Baerbock said on the 27th that he plans to "quickly" call China and reschedule his visit to China. When talking about the cancellation of the previous trip, he explained, "That was just a postponement, not a cancellation. For the German government, it is obvious that we have maintained a long-term good relationship with China, and we are always ready to engage in dialogue with China."
According to reports from German media, the deputy spokesperson for the German government, Steffen Meyer, said that day that he believes this postponement "will 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, as China is an indispensable partner. "Clearly, both China and Germany need this cooperation."
Meyer also said that this change will not affect the visit plan of German Chancellor Merkel, who is also about to visit China. He stated that there are no "preconditions" requiring the Foreign Minister to visit China before the Chancellor.
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