Germany pressed China to lean harder on Russia over its war in Ukraine on Tuesday, while leaders from both countries pledged to work together to combat climate change as two of the world’s biggest carbon dioxide emitters.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and about half of his Cabinet hosted a delegation led by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, making his first foreign trip since becoming China’s No 2 official in March, as the two nations held high-level government talks for the seventh time.
The meeting in Berlin came a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, indicating an effort by Beijing to reach out to the West and improve frosty relations.
Germany is keen to maintain good ties with China, its biggest trading partner, despite wariness over Beijing’s growing assertiveness and refusal to criticise the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Germany’s recently published national security strategy describes China as “a partner, competitor and systemic rival”.
Mr Scholz called on the Chinese delegation to do more to persuade Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
“I appealed again to the Chinese government to exert its influence even more strongly on Russia in this war,” he said, standing alongside Mr Li. “As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China carries a very special duty here.
“It is important that China continues not to deliver weapons to the aggressor, Russia.”
Mr Scholz added that he is “thankful” China continues to make clear there must be no threat to use nuclear weapons.
Mr Li did not respond directly or mention Ukraine in his statement, and the two leaders took no questions.
Germany and China agreed at Tuesday’s meeting to set up a “climate and transformation dialogue” to find ways to make industrial processes more climate-friendly and speed up the transition to renewable energy sources.
Mr Scholz pointed to extreme weather events such as droughts in China and floods in Germany to illustrate the importance of action.
“As major emitters of CO2, Germany and China bear particular responsibility in the fight against climate change,” he told reporters. “We will face this responsibility together.”
Mr Li said that “dealing with climate change should become an important field of co-operation for both sides”.
The Chinese premier emphasised trade and economic issues in his comments.
“Deglobalisation is flaring up again and the global economy is lacking growth dynamics,” he said, according to an interpreter.
He added that “China places great value on the development of relations with Germany and Europe”.
After visiting the European Union’s biggest economy, Mr Li will travel to France – the second-biggest – where he will attend the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, which is being held at French President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative.
Mr Scholz has said he wants to avoid over-reliance on Chinese trade and diversify Germany’s supply of key goods – an approach he calls “de-risking”.
He said he reassured Mr Li that “we have interest in an economic decoupling from China”.
That position was echoed last month by the Group of Seven leading industrial powers.
He noted that “access to the Chinese market and fair competition conditions for German and other foreign companies in China remain a challenge, on which we are pushing for concrete improvements”.
As Mr Scholz and Mr Li met, German security officials warned of the continued danger posed by Chinese espionage.
A report by the BfV domestic intelligence agency, published on Tuesday, notes that China’s Ministry of State Security is actively trying to obtain information on areas of political, economic and scientific interest to Beijing, as well as on Chinese dissidents in Germany.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the country is also examining the potential risks from the use of telecommunications equipment made by Chinese company Huawei in Germany’s 5G networks.
“This inquiry will be completed in the summer and then we will provide an assessment,” she said, adding that this could result in Huawei equipment having to be removed.
