The Chinese leader was responding to an investigation launched last year by Brussels into subsidies granted by Beijing to electric vehicles. More recently, the European Commission announced an investigation into state support for Chinese wind turbines for European production projects, following similar scrutiny on rail and solar projects.
He told Scholz, who was in China for a four-day visit, that “both sides should be wary of rising protectionism”, and suggested that Berlin should not go down the path of reduction risks, because there is no risk in this country. bilateral ties.
Stressing that Beijing “does not pose a security threat,” Xi said Sino-German cooperation should not be interpreted as a risk.
“Whether it is traditional fields such as machine manufacturing and automobiles, or new fields like green transition, digitalization or artificial intelligence, the two countries have enormous potential for win-win cooperation which is yet to be explored,” Xi said, according to state media Xinhua.
Scholz, flanked by a trade delegation of senior German executives eager to maintain their lucrative business opportunities in China, focused his opening speech not on trade but on Ukraine.
He called on Xi to “contribute more to a just peace in Ukraine.” “The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and Russian rearmament have had a very significant negative impact on security in Europe. They directly affect our core interests,” he told Xi.
Xi offered no new commitments on Ukraine, instead supporting “all efforts toward a peaceful resolution of the crisis (in Ukraine), as well as the timely convening of an international peace conference recognized both by Russia and Ukraine.
He called for “equal participation of all parties and a place where all peace plans could be discussed” – a strong allusion to the idea that Europe should invite Russia to the table. He asked the West not to “add fuel to the fire,” a Chinese euphemism for sending weapons to Ukraine.
Politices
