Accusations against Scholz for trip to China: “Germany repeats its mistakes with Russia” Gasoline or abortion? What could the US Midterms decide?

Former Chinese student leader Wang Dan has criticized German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his planned trip to Beijing. “Xi Jinping has decided to confront the mainstream of Western values,” Wang Dan, who lives in exile in Washington and currently teaches in Taiwan, told the German news agency on Thursday. With the visit at the moment, Scholz is helping the Chinese head of state and the party to prove that his policies are supported by Germany. “Wouldn’t that be a shame for Germany?”

Since Scholz travels to China despite all the criticism, he must make it clear to Xi Jinping in his talks that Beijing should not use force to Taiwan problem to resolve. Scholz also had to make clear that democracy and human rights were more important to Germany than trade with China. “Germany repeats its mistakes with Russia, which harms its national interests”said Wang Dan, who was allowed to emigrate to the United States in 1998 after serving several years in prison.

Tensions around Taiwan have escalated recently. The Chinese leadership claims that the Democratic Island Republic is part of the territory of the People’s Republic. Xi Jinping had just threatened to take over Taiwan militarily at a party conference, should it continue to resist unification. The island, which was governed independently even before the founding of the People’s Communist Republic in 1949 and now has a population of 23 million, has long considered itself independent.

(yam/sda/dpa)