Foreign Minister Baerbock will travel to Beijing in mid-April

Berlin The list of trips to China by high-ranking European politicians is getting longer and longer. First, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez traveled to Beijing on Thursday. French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen want to fly to Beijing next week.

Now Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also wants to travel to the People’s Republic in mid-April. As the Handelsblatt learned from several people familiar with the minister’s travel plans, she will fly to Beijing in the second half of the week shortly after the Easter holidays. Then it’s off to the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Japan.

At the end of February, Petra Sigmund, Head of Department for the Asia region at the Federal Foreign Office, was in the People’s Republic to prepare for the visit. One topic in the talks with Foreign Minister Baerbock shortly after Easter will be the China strategy, which is currently being drawn up under the auspices of the Federal Foreign Office.

A first draft bill had already become known last year. The federal government had already agreed in the coalition agreement to develop a China strategy for the first time in the history of the Federal Republic. It is intended to restructure the relationship with China and take account of the country’s growing importance.

According to reports, the federal government is largely in agreement on many points. As things stand at present, the result will be a less sharply formulated strategy than was discernible in the first draft. Even with the national security strategy, which is considered to be the superstructure of the more specific China strategy, there should be a clear demand for more diversification by the economy with a view to the People’s Republic.

Berlin weakens its choice of words compared to Beijing

However, as things stand at present, the triad already formulated in the coalition agreement with a view to China will remain. The People’s Republic is then considered under the dimensions of partnership, competition and system rivalry.

>> Read also: There will be no “business as usual” – this is how the new China strategy is created

In the first draft of the China strategy, it was stated that the last two aspects were “gaining more and more weight”. Such an assessment is not to be made in the National Security Strategy, so it is formulated somewhat milder.

According to information from the Handelsblatt, there is still disagreement within the federal government about the publication date of the China strategy. So far, it was planned to complete the paper before the upcoming Sino-German government consultations. But the Federal Chancellery is internally calling for publication after the meeting with the Chinese.

According to information from the Handelsblatt, the German-Chinese government consultations are currently planned for June. The consultations take place every two years, this year in Berlin.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz received support for the later publication date from the Federal Ministry of Finance. The position of the Chancellery is understandable, according to the BMF: It makes sense to first hold the planned consultations with China and not to decide on the strategy directly before the visit.

National Security Strategy is almost complete

The National Security Strategy is now on the home stretch. As the Handelsblatt reported, the strategy has been in the final vote since mid-March. The ministries dealing directly with the paper had already agreed on a joint draft.

At least the content of the China strategy should not surprise Beijing – after all, the content will not go beyond what was already known in the first draft.

Representatives of the Chinese government had publicly reacted sharply to the first paper. In an interview with the Handelsblatt, China’s ambassador in Berlin accused it of being “mainly guided by ideology”.

Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) visiting Taiwan

The German research minister’s visit to Taiwan drew relatively hesitant reactions.

(Photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire)

Despite the strong public reaction to the first draft, there are currently many signs that Beijing is interested in good relations with Germany. The reaction to the first visit by a member of the federal government to Taiwan in 26 years was moderate by Chinese standards.

>> Read also: Stark-Watzinger warns of renewed dependence on China

In connection with the trip by Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) last week, representatives of the Chinese government protested against the trip. “Great displeasure” was expressed about the trip, it said.

Nancy Pelosi and Tsai Ing-wen

After the visit of the former speaker of the US House of Representatives, China responded with military maneuvers.

(Photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire)

Beyond that, however, no further consequences are known. For comparison: In August last year, after a visit by the then Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, China not only issued sharp threats, but also held military maneuvers around the island for days. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory, although the country has never been part of the People’s Republic founded in 1949 and has its own democratically elected government and laws.

Most countries in the world, including Germany, do not recognize this territorial claim, but have agreed to renounce official diplomatic relations with Taipei in favor of diplomatic relations with Beijing.

In recent years, the Chinese government has reacted with increasing resentment to supposed signs that states such as Germany or the USA are moving away from this practice.

More: German companies are investing more than ever in China – where the greatest dependencies exist

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