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It was without a doubt one of the most important political visits to Germany this year. The Chinese government came to Berlin on Monday for the Sino-German government talks. It was Premier Li Qiang’s first trip abroad since taking office in March. Still, expectations from the talks were not particularly high, as the list of issues between Germany and China is long.

Without support from China, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin would probably not be able to wage his war of aggression in Ukraine. Germany is also a thorn in the side. But those who hoped for a solution to this question in Berlin were disappointed: at the press conference of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Li, no questions were allowed, no Chinese statements about Ukraine, hardly any agreements, no new deals.

On paper, there were hardly any results from the German-Chinese meeting, but both countries took a small step towards each other. That doesn’t say much, but Chinese President Xi Jinping seems to be launching a charm offensive towards the West. Because Xi currently has two central problems: his faltering economy and Vladimir Putin.

China is in serious trouble

Of course, the war in Ukraine was also the focus of attention in Berlin on Tuesday. At the press conference after the deliberation, Scholz again stuck his finger in the Chinese wound. China should use its influence over Russia more to end the Russian war in Ukraine. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has “a very special task,” Scholz said at the Berlin Chancellery. The chancellor made similar calls during his visit to Beijing last November.

So far, calls to China from the West have repeatedly faded and have had no effect. Beijing continues to support Putin and, among other things, exports semiconductors to Russia that are used in the defense industry. “China fears political instability in Russia and a fall of Putin,” explains China expert Klaus Mühlhahn in an interview with t-online. “It’s playing with fire.” Although the Chinese leaders presented their own peace initiative for the war in Ukraine, Beijing seems to be in no particular hurry. The initiative has not yet yielded concrete results.

On the contrary, China pursues its national interests and benefits from the fact that Russia is now dependent on the People’s Republic. In this way, Xi receives cheap raw materials and has a loyal vassal in Putin in the fight against the world order dominated by the West. “Without the business with Russia and without the cheap Russian raw materials, the economic situation of the People’s Republic would be much more difficult,” says Mühlhahn.

The expert continues: «The economic situation in China is not good and the problems continue to grow. Youth unemployment is high, many cities have not yet recovered from the corona pandemic and are heavily indebted. » The Chinese economy is not growing as fast as the communist leaders had planned. This puts pressure on Xi. Above all, China’s current situation also shows that it is still dependent on the West – and the West is dependent on China.

That is why Beijing is currently ready for dialogue – despite the loud geopolitical noise.

No questions allowed

This was also apparent at the reception of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing on Monday. Blinken was personally received by Chinese President Xi Jinping – and that is actually unusual. “Normally, the Chinese pay a lot of attention to the hierarchical levels. For example, Annalena Baerbock was not received by Xi,” Mühlhahn explains. That is not necessarily a contempt of the German foreign minister. “The talks with Blinken rather show that the situation for China is currently difficult.”

So the West is currently also drawing red lines towards China. Scholz stressed on Tuesday that it is important for China not to continue supplying weapons “to the aggressor Russia”. He recalled his visit to China in November, in which, together with President Xi Jinping, it was made clear that there would be no threats and “especially no use” of nuclear weapons. “That remains unchanged and I am grateful for this common clear position.”

At the press conference, Li Qiang smiled off calls and criticism of his country’s Ukraine policy. Appearing before the press, the Chinese head of government did not respond to the chancellor’s call to influence China’s “strategic partner” Russia. At the request of the Chinese side, no questions from journalists were allowed.

A new China strategy is coming

Beijing’s interest seems clear: it wants to further deepen economic cooperation with Germany. Li Qiang reiterated that China is interested in expanding cooperation. China and Germany must “take relations to an ever higher level”. He referred to the “complex” international situation and the lack of dynamic growth in the global economy: “If we strengthen cooperation in science, industry and business, we contribute to the stability of the global economy.”

The federal government, on the other hand, is working on a new China strategy. In it, the People’s Republic is still classified as a partner, competitor and systemic rival. In the course of the conflicts in Ukraine and Taiwan, this triad is increasingly criticized internationally – especially from the US. But Germany must first diversify its supply chains, but this is happening slowly and in the background, t-online learned from diplomatic circles.

Regardless of the debate over Germany’s dependence on China, Scholz stressed the federal government’s determination to further develop economic cooperation with the country’s second-largest economy. “We have no interest in economic decoupling from China,” the Chancellor said. However, he called for improved access to the Chinese market and fair competition conditions. German companies are already executing a risk mitigation strategy with respect to China. The companies must first analyze for which preliminary products and raw materials they are mainly dependent on Chinese suppliers.

A step towards de-escalation

Even after the government meeting, Scholz emphasized the things that a German chancellor should emphasize in talks with China. He talked about human rights, about Chinese industrial espionage, about working conditions in China: “Decent production conditions and the associated improvement of the human rights situation are in our mutual interest.” China is under scrutiny over allegations of forced labor by minorities such as the Uyghurs.

Chinese leaders are used to Western accusations, they are listened to, but they have rarely led to change in the past. But the planned China strategy may also be an opportunity. “Of course the Chinese will recognize in their risk assessments whether industrial espionage would actually affect them,” says Mühlhahn. “Germany must find practical tools to address and mitigate risks. Only then will China take us seriously.”

At least China seems to be shaking some of the aggressiveness with which its leaders have often pursued foreign policy in recent months and years. Especially in the Taiwan Strait, China threatened a military escalation. “For me there is no strategy,” says Mühlhan. “This is how China shoots itself in the leg, because these escalations do not make it easy for the world to cooperate economically with Beijing.”

One thing seems certain. Global problems such as the climate crisis also require cooperation with China. That is why dialogue is important and Scholz also called the cabinet consultations useful. “The direct dialogue, the face-to-face conversation, a real exchange – all of this is even more important than usual in these extraordinary times full of global challenges and crises.” In Berlin, however, Germany and China only take a small step towards each other.

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