We have very specific concerns regarding our cooperation, which we want to improve and make fair. This example alone shows that it is worthwhile to undertake such trips, also in order to discuss specific topics in concrete terms.
A horse does not make the most of its strength alone, but by pulling the cart together with others. Only when we in Germany and Europe are united, strong and competitive can we build a balanced partnership with China. We want our partnership with China to be balanced, reliable, regulated and fair.
"In the era of great powers, our freedom is no longer a given. It is under threat," said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the opening of the Munich Security Conference earlier in February. Merz explicitly mentioned China. "China has the ambition to shape global affairs, laying the foundations for this over many years with strategic patience. In the foreseeable future, Beijing could draw level with the US in terms of military might. China is systematically exploiting the dependencies of others, reinterpreting the international order on its own terms," he said.
So now it's happening after all: From this Sunday until next Wednesday, Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will travel to China. There is a lot to discuss with the Chinese government. Wadephul, a member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), originally planned his first trip to China for October 26. But on October 24, he canceled at short notice. According to political insiders in Berlin, Wadephul had not been able to schedule talks with enough high-profile partners, so he decided the trip was not worth making. A German foreign minister with whom almost no one in Beijing wants to talk? Some observers spoke of a diplomatic scandal, especially since part of Wadephul's purpose on the trip was to prepare Chancellor Friedrich Merz's inaugural visit to China.
With China covering, for instance, more than 95% of the rare earth market, you cannot replace this in a short time," he told DW. "These are long-standing and reliable trading relationships, and the material and processes are proven.
Lars Klingbeil's trip is the first visit to China by a cabinet minister of the current German government, and the trip to Berlin's most important trading partner comes at a sensitive time. Chinese export controls, especially on rare earths, have highlighted the German economy's heavy dependence on China. The German automotive industry, for example, has felt the effects as it faces a shortage of important parts. The trip comes six months into the current government's term