Diplomacy: Baerbock to Beijing: Ukraine, Russia and tariffs at the center

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is meeting with her Chinese colleague Wang Yi this Monday against the backdrop of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and the debate about extra tariffs on Chinese electric cars. A spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin said further political discussions and, among other things, a meeting with German business representatives were planned in the Chinese capital Beijing. The Green Party politician’s visit had previously been announced by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

According to the Foreign Office, Baerbock wants to talk to Wang Yi about the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. The human rights situation in China will also be an issue. It is also likely to be about the simmering trade conflict between the European Union (EU) and China. The EU accuses Beijing of distorting competition through subsidies and decided on extra tariffs on Chinese electric cars in October. China is examining countermeasures that could also affect German car manufacturers.

The planned conversation with Wang Yi is Baerbock’s third detailed meeting with her Chinese colleague this year. She last saw him three months ago on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. In February there was a conversation at the security conference in Munich.

From Beijing to NATO to Brussels

From Beijing, Baerbock wants to travel to Brussels for the two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Tuesday and Wednesday. The main aim there is to discuss further support for Ukraine. In addition, the threat posed by hybrid attacks and Moscow’s increasingly close cooperation with China, North Korea and Iran would also be topics, said the German Foreign Office spokesman.

A 15th package of sanctions against Russia is currently being prepared in the EU. Among other things, the plan is to target companies based in China that are involved in the production of drones for the Ukraine war.

Baerbock is repeatedly critical of Beijing

Given the Federal Government’s assumption that Moscow is receiving help through drones from its most important partner China, Baerbock recently warned Beijing that this would have consequences. With regard to China’s climate stance as the world’s largest emitter of the climate-damaging gas carbon dioxide, she demanded that the People’s Republic move to the group of states that participate in aid for developing countries. Another topic is likely to be China’s possible role in connection with the recent damage to two submarine cables in the Baltic Sea.

The minister was last in Beijing in mid-April 2023. A few months later, on September 14th, she caused a diplomatic dispute with statements on US television about China’s state and party leader Xi Jinping. On Fox News television, she commented, among other things, on the Russian war in Ukraine and, with a view to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said: “If Putin were to win this war, what a sign that would be for other dictators in the world, like Xi, like the Chinese president?”