"The trip comes six weeks after Wadephul wasforced to delay his orignally planned visit as Beijing had not confirmed meetings with key leaders amid tensions over Taiwan. 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. Moreover, Wadephul had repeatedly and publicly denounced China's "increasingly aggressive behavior" in the Taiwan Strait and in the East and South China Seas."
"Following a meeting with China's commerce minister, the top German diplomat is scheduled to meet with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. In the meeting with Wang, Wadephul is expected to address China's restrictions on rare-earth exports which are critical for auto, tech and defense manufacturers. He is also likely to bring up China's support of Russia in its war in Ukraine, especially the purchase of Russian oil, despite Beijing's formal neutral stance."
Johann Wadephul began a two-day visit to China emphasizing fair, rule-based trade and the removal of trade barriers. He described China as Germany's most important trading partner and said Berlin intends to expand the partnership. The visit aims to identify opportunities to strengthen economic relations and to determine existing obstacles. The trip was delayed six weeks after Beijing did not confirm meetings amid tensions over Taiwan, and Wadephul has publicly denounced China's increasingly aggressive behavior in regional waters. Agenda items include meetings with Vice President Han Zheng and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, discussion of rare-earth export restrictions, and concerns about China's commercial ties with Russia.
Read at www.dw.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]