Scholz himself, despite growing calls for a decoupling from China, has repeatedly said the country should continue to seek cooperation with Beijing. A business delegation representing Germany’s top enterprises that is travelling with him eyes continued partnership with China amid its zero-Covid policy.
Scholz came to China with some goals in mind. In an op-ed he wrote in Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper before leaving for China he said he wanted: China to play its role in stopping the Ukraine crisis through communicating with Russia; a reciprocal economic relationship with China; to allow German and European businesses to have great access to the Chinese market; and for human rights to be protected.
He is expected to bring all those topics up with Xi during their meeting.
China, which has been classified by the EU as “partner, economic competitor and systemic rival”, has clashed with the bloc in recent years over multiple issues, including Taiwan and human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
In addition, EU leaders have expressed growing concerns about excessive economic dependence on China, which continues to expand its investments in European infrastructure. More recently, there has been harsh criticism of Germany from its Western partners for ignoring national security warnings to approve the state-owned China Ocean Shipping Company (Cosco) shareholding in a terminal at Hamburg, the country’s busiest port.
Scholz also faces increasing pressure from his coalition partners at home who are planning a new China policy to reduce economic dependence on China and seek cooperation only on the grounds of human rights and international law. Since the party congress closed on October 22, China has hosted foreign leaders from Vietnam, Pakistan and Tanzania. Scholz’s visit is seen by some observers as an opportunity to show “a new image” of China’s diplomacy and to improve ties with the West amid rising tensions.