During their first phone conversation on Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to deepen economic relations between their countries. Crucially, however, Scholz avoided discussing human rights concerns in the Xinjiang region and Hong Kong.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chinese President Xi Jinping had first phone call today. They discussed, among other things, "the deepening of the bilateral partnership and economic relations, the development of EU-China relations, and international issues," according to a 🇩🇪 readout.
— Hans von der Burchard (@vonderburchard) December 21, 2021
Adopting a stance similar to his predecessor Angela Merkel, Scholz conveyed his willingness to develop ties with China based on mutual respect and trust, seeing as China is Germany’s biggest trading partner and the most important market for its automobile industry.
Xi’s proposal for cooperation with Germany included three key points. The first, he said, is viewing bilateral ties from a strategic point of view, which are beneficial for both countries and people and global peace and security. Next, he called on his German counterpart to expand cooperation in clean energy, the digital economy, and the service industry. In this regard, Xi welcomed German companies to seize opportunities offered by the Chinese market and hoped that Scholz would in turn provide Chinese investors with a fair business environment.
Lastly, Xi said that both sides should cooperate to tackle emerging challenges and contribute to global governance. Concerning this, he said both countries should enhance cooperation on international issues, such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, sustainable development, and poverty alleviation. Xi also hoped that “Germany will continue to play a positive role in stabilizing China-EU relations and continue to inject stability and positive energy into China-EU relations.”
In his first call with new Chancellor Scholz, Xi said Germany should play a positive role in stabilising China-EU relations, continue bilateral governmental dialogue and provide a level playing field for Chinese businesses.
— Stuart Lau (@StuartKLau) December 21, 2021
Unlike several of his Western counterparts, Scholz refrained from discussing China’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong’s controversial legislative council elections on Sunday. However, Germany has made its displeasure known via its participation in the G7 and the European Union, both of which have frequently spoken out against China’s human rights abuses. In fact, both the G7 and European Union released statements condemning Hong Kong’s recent election, which was swept by pro-Beijing candidates following the recent imposition of the Loyalty Law.
Aside from protecting Germany’s economy, particularly its automobile industry, Scholz hopes that his cautious approach towards China will also avoid jeopardising the EU’s investment deal with the Asian giant, which was temporarily halted due to human rights abuses. However, Scholz’s remarks contradict the coalition agreement his Social Democratic Party (SPD) struck with the Green Party and liberal Free Democratic (FDP) Party to form the German government. The agreement states that the EU’s investment deal with China cannot be ratified at this stage.
The talks on the investment deal concluded last year, but its ratification was suspended amid human rights concerns in China’s Xinjiang region. The EU sanctioned four Chinese officials associated with human rights abuses against the Uyghur community in the Xinjiang region. In response, Beijing sanctioned European lawmakers, which led to the European Parliament suspending the deal’s ratification.
Le président chinois Xi Jinping s'est entretenu mardi, au téléphone, avec le chancelier allemand Olaf Scholz. L'année prochaine marque le 50e anniversaire des relations diplomatiques entre la Chine et l'Allemagne. pic.twitter.com/i3KnT3l2qs
— Ambassade de Chine en France (@AmbassadeChine) December 22, 2021
Prior to their meeting on Tuesday, Xi sent a congratulatory message to Scholz on December 9 following his inauguration as the new German chancellor. According to a release put out by China’s foreign ministry, Xi stressed on the need for “mutual respect” and finding “common ground” while “shelving differences” to achieve “win-win cooperation.” He further noted that next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and thus called for the “new development of China-Germany relations.” Premier L Keqiang sent a similar message, saying he looks forward to expanding the two countries’ strategic partnership.