Germany’s Scholz urges Xi to exert influence on Russia

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, left, meets Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of People in Beijing, China,
Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

In a much-scrutinized meeting Friday with President Xi Jinping in Beijing, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged China to exert its influence on Russia, while the Chinese leader repeated a call for talks between Moscow and Ukraine and warned against the conflict going nuclear.

Scholz was in Beijing for a one-day visit that has drawn criticism over China’s support for Russia, lingering controversies over economic ties and human rights issues, as well as the timing of the trip.

It comes after Xi further cemented his authoritarian rule at a major Communist Party congress last month and as China continues to refuse to criticize Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Scholz’s visit reflects the importance of Germany’s trade ties with China, the world’s second-largest economy, particularly in the auto and manufacturing sectors. Mercedes Benz alone sold 758,863 cars in China last year, more than in any other country.

Scholz, who traveled with several top German business leaders, received a formal welcome from Xi, who was recently reappointed head of the ruling Communist Party for a third term, at the Great Hall of the People in the heart of Beijing.

“At present, the international situation is complex and changeable,” Xi was quoted as telling Scholz by state broadcaster CCTV. “As influential powers, China and Germany should work together in times of change and chaos to make more contributions to world peace and development.”

On Ukraine, Xi “pointed out that China supports Germany and the EU in playing an important role in promoting peace talks and promoting the building of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework,” CCTV reported. That was apparently a nod to Russia’s anger over NATO’s eastern expansion.

The international community should “create conditions for the resumption of negotiations (and) jointly oppose the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons,” Xi said.

Scholz is the first leader from the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations to meet with Xi since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was first detected in China in 2019, and the first European leader to visit China since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Germany has strongly opposed.

The diplomatically delicate trip came as Germany and the European Union are working on their strategy toward an increasingly assertive and authoritarian China.

Meanwhile on Friday, G-7 diplomats met in Germany to rally support for Ukraine and coalesced around suspicion of China’s increasing assertiveness amid a wide range of global crises.

Beijing has provided Moscow with diplomatic backing by repeatedly calling for peace talks while refusing to support measures at the United Nations criticizing Russia’s invasion. It has also accused the U.S. and NATO of provoking the attack and scathingly criticized economic sanctions imposed on Russia.

In his opening remarks, Scholz referred directly to the conflict that has created millions of refugees and upended world food and energy markets, saying, “We come together at a time of great tension.”

“In particular, I want to highlight the Russian war against Ukraine, which poses many problems for our rules-based world order,” Scholz said.

Scholz also touched on global hunger, climate change and developing-world debt as important issues.

At a later news conference, Scholz said he told Xi that “it’s important for China to exert its influence on Russia.” He gave no details on what the West wanted China to do.

“President Xi and I agree that nuclear threats are irresponsible and highly dangerous. By using nuclear weapons, Russia would cross a line that the international community has drawn together,” he said. MDT/AP