It is time for Xi Jinping to accept that Germany isn’t America’s puppet
read-out said the summit meeting in Beijing that ended on April 16th reflected the strong ties that bind the world’s second- and third-largest economies. A morning of talks with Xi Jinping, China’s president, punctuated by a comradely stroll in the garden and ending in a cordial lunch, seemed to have marked a friendly climax to the three-day visit to China by Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor.
But not all is as rosy as spring. For a start, the German home audience was denied a live view of their chancellor’s frolic in Beijing because, a German public broadcaster, could not get Chinese press accreditation from the host country’s notoriously awkward bureaucrats. But behind that quibble lurked much bigger troubles.
This may be true for Germany, which learned a lesson after wooing Russia for decades with fat energy contracts, only to see it invade Ukraine. Yet the statement from Mr Xi stressed a contrary message. It said that the intertwining of economies is not a risk but an opportunity, as well as “the guarantee of a stable relationship”.
This difference means a lot to the bosses of 12 big German firms who accompanied Mr Scholz. Many are deeply exposed as investors in China, or face stiffening Chinese competition. A recent report by economists at Allianz, a German insurance giant, suggests that the two countries are moving “from complementarity to substitution”, as China begins to replace Germany even in high-value manufacturing.
So when Mr Xi argued against protectionism, the response from Mr Scholz is likely to have been as stilted as the Chinese leader’s response to German nagging on such subjects as Ukraine or human rights. The fact is that although both countries would like to insulate their bilateral relationship from the more strident behaviour of their allies , they both sense that this is not sustainable.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Xi Jinping Urges Cultivation of New Productive Forces in China's RustbeltChina's leader, Xi Jinping, visits Heilongjiang province and urges the cultivation of 'new productive forces' to address the economic problems in the country's rustbelt. The phrase 'new productive forces' gains prominence in state newspapers and official gatherings, drawing comparisons to the 'reform and opening up' policy of the late 1970s.
Read more »
How Xi Jinping plans to overtake AmericaDigital twins, nuclear fusion and the small matter of fixing China’s economy
Read more »
Xi Jinping’s misguided plan to escape economic stagnationIt will disappoint China’s people and anger the rest of the world
Read more »
Beijing bets on manufacturingXi Jinping hopes manufacturing can offset the property slump
Read more »
Pressuring allies not to fulfill chip kit service contracts with China now official US policyXi Jinping warns 'no force' can stop country's science and tech progress
Read more »
The mind-bending new rules for doing business in ChinaXi Jinping is sending mixed messages to Western bosses and investors
Read more »