The German chancellor is set for a balancing act during his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, as Berlin weighs economic interests against geopolitical concerns.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz leaves for China on Saturday for a three-day diplomatic visit that includes meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Accompanied by a high-level business delegation, the German leader is expected to address grievances over the trade deficit between the EU common market and the world’s second-largest economy.
Scholz is also expected to question China’s ties with Russia amid the Ukraine war and Beijing’s aggressiveness toward Taiwan — a self-ruled island China claims as its own.
Scholz is scheduled to meet Xi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Tuesday, the last day of his trip. This is Scholz’s second trip to China as chancellor — he completed his first visit in November 2022.
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