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Scholz and the government here want to signal that “it’s not completely back to the old days where Germany’s relationship with China was all about making money.”
The governments of Germany and China are expected to discuss boosting cooperation between their two countries in high-level talks on Tuesday in Berlin.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Li Qiang, who is on his first trip abroad since being named China’s premier in March, will lead the meeting.
On the Chinese side, a total of 10 government representatives will take part in the consultations. On the German side there will be nine.
Unlike previous visits by Chinese dignitaries, when pragmatic German leaders eager to expand business ties with the Asian giant rolled out the red carpet, Li’s trip comes as Germany is intensifying its efforts to “de-risk” from China.
What can be expected from the talks?
The last time Sino-German consultations at this level took place, in 2018, Angela Merkel was still German chancellor. Those talks covered a wide range of topics.
According to DW’s Chief International Editor Richard Walker, the only thing that can be safely expected from this week’s discussions is that the fight against climate change will be a key focus of the negotiations.
Walker said that Scholz was trying to achieve two things: “On the one hand demonstrate that Germany and China can work together on issues of mutual importance ... this year they wanted to really focus the consultations on the issue of climate change.”
“At the same time, Scholz and the government here want to signal that it’s not completely back to the old days where Germany’s relationship with China was all about making money,” he added.
The talks are also likely to address trade relations and Russia’s war against Ukraine, which China is trying to mediate.
Li hopes for ‘positive signal’ from Berlin
Ahead of the talks, Scholz said he expected a “very important working meeting” from Tuesday’s government consultations.
Li said he hoped for a deepening of cooperation and a “strong positive signal for stable international industrial and supply chains and world peace and prosperity.”
In the afternoon, Scholz and Li are due to take part in an economic forum. The Chinese delegation then plans to travel on to Munich for talks with companies.
dh/nm (dpa, AFP)
This article was originally published on Deutsche Welle. Read the original article here.
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