Chancellor Scholz's China visit: A missed opportunity for Germany?

German media have expressed skepticism about Chancellor Olaf Scholz's visit to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

"Handelsblatt," an economic daily, criticizes the German Chancellor for his excessively soft approach. "Scholz is repeating the mistakes of his predecessor, Angela Merkel. Instead of securing benefits for the broader German economy and the country as a whole, she was too influenced by the interests of major corporations," the newspaper from Düsseldorf points out.

The publication suggests that now is the ideal time to challenge the Chinese leadership. "With the Chinese economy showing signs of weakness and Beijing relying on cooperation with Germany and Europe, the Chancellor's overly cautious stance undervalues Germany and its importance to China," "Handelsblatt" evaluates.

"Lausitzer Rundschau," published in Lusatia, views the outcomes of the German Chancellor's visit to China as minimal. "Expectations were once again high, with the war in Ukraine and trade conflicts topping the agenda," the paper reports.

It notes that Scholz "quite boldly" presented a list of urgent issues to Xi Jinping. "Yet, he achieved little in return: resistance on economic fronts, a few vague peace proposals, and not even the anticipated agreement to join the Swiss conference on Ukraine. But it's premature to call this a failure. This was the extent of what could be achieved," the newspaper concludes.

"Mitteldeutsche Zeitung" offers a different perspective: "In any discussion with Xi, it's essential to remember that Scholz is dealing with Putin's most potent ally. As long as the war against Ukraine doesn't disadvantage China but undermines the security and economy of Europe, Xi is likely to remain indifferent. It's hard to imagine that a nuclear-armed nation of 1.4 billion people couldn't influence Putin. For China, the potential escalation of conflict in the Middle East involving Israel and Iran, Russia's partner, and the threat of two major wars disrupting the entire international order might be more concerning."

"Leipziger Volkszeitung" recalls that Scholz provoked Beijing at the start of his tenure by indicating that China is only one among many of Germany's partners.

"Moreover, he was the first to meet with its major competitors - India and Japan - and wooed the countries of the Global South. The term 'de-risking,' meaning to minimize Germany's economic dependence on China, has gained traction. From the perspective of Xi Jinping, whose governance resembles a dictatorship, Germany has become a less reliable partner," the Leipzig-based newspaper states, concluding: "This move is risky, as the gas deal with Russia has shown where unilateral dependence can lead."

Source: Deutsche Welle