The forthcoming trip to China by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is met with reservations in the traffic light coalition. “I find the timing of this trip extremely unfortunate,” said FDP Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai on Monday to the RTL and n-tv channels. In this context, Djir-Sarai referred to the debate about the entry of a Chinese state-owned company in the port of Hamburg. Germany must “never again be economically dependent on an autocratic state,” warned Djir-Sarai.
Mistakes that Germany made in Russia policy should not be repeated, said the FDP politician. The turning point proclaimed by the Chancellor must therefore also have an impact on China policy: “China is an important trading partner, but also a systemic rival – everyone who uses the word turning point should be aware of that.”
During his talks in Beijing on Friday, Scholz must also publicly address the issue of human rights: “I expect a Chancellor to say very clearly where we stand and what we expect from China,” said the FDP Secretary General.
