Xi tells Scholz cooperation not a ‘risk’
BEIJING: Cooperation between China and Germany was not a “risk” but a guarantee for stable ties and an opportunity for the future, President Xi Jinping said yesterday, amid complaints by the European Union (EU) about Chinese goods flooding the bloc’s markets.
The industrial and supply chains of China and Germany are deeply intertwined and their markets highly interdependent, Xi told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing.
“We must view and develop bilateral relations in an all-round way from a long-term and strategic perspective.”
After their second meeting in Beijing since Nov 2022, the two strolled in the grounds of the Diaoyutai state guesthouse, a sprawling complex of villas, lakes and gardens where many foreign leaders have been received, images on state broadcaster CCTV showed.
Scholz’s visit coincided with EU concerns about the threat to European businesses from Chinese goods, including electric vehicles and other green technologies, flooding its markets.
EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has complained about China’s overproduction being unfairly supported by “massive” state subsidies.
“China’s exports of electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products have not only enriched global supply and alleviated inflationary pressure, but also contributed greatly to the response to climate change and green and low-carbon transformation,” Xi told Scholz.
“(Germany and China) should be vigilant against rising protectionism, look at the issue of production capacity objectively and dialectically from a market-oriented and global perspective.”
Scholz has been cautious about pushing away China, an important market for Germany, saying the EU should not act out of protectionist self-interest.
However, competition between China and Germany ought to be fair, Scholz said in Shanghai on Monday.
“At some point there will also be Chinese cars in Germany and Europe. The only thing that must always be clear is that competition must be fair,“Scholz told students at Tongji University in the commercial hub.
“In other words, that there is no dumping, that there is no overproduction, that copyrights are not infringed,” Scholz said. – Reuters