Between the US and a hard place, Germany's Scholz reheats China ties
BERLIN/BEIJING - Last year Germany launched a strategy to"de-risk" from China, but on Saturday Chancellor Olaf Scholz starts a high-stakes visit there hoping to shore up ties at a delicate point with the U.S. and EU threatening to hammer Chinese goods in subsidy rows.
Looming over the visit is the prospect of the return of Donald Trump to the White House, who has threatened to hike trade tariffs on all countries including Germany. "There is still no solution as to how to protect your own market without risking giving up your China business at the same time." Scholz's government had last July produced a 64-page strategy document outlining China's increasing assertiveness,"unfair practices" and the risks to supply chains in a potential conflict over Taiwan.Scholz takes with him CEOs from some of Germany's most prominent companies such as Siemens and Mercedes, as well as three cabinet ministers, underscoring Beijing's importance.
Mikko Huotari, head of the Merics Institute in Berlin, calls it a"re-engaging" and stabilising of relations. He urged Scholz to emphasise that Germany has a special role within the EU and does not want Brussels to take tough action in trade disputes. China had in March pledged to treat foreign and domestic companies equally but German businesses reacted with scepticism and asked for concrete steps.
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