Geurasia

Xi Jinping tells Germany's Scholz co-operation not a risk amid EU trade tension

Photo: AFP/dpa/Michael Kappeler

Eurasia 16/04/2024 15:45

Chinese President Xi Jinping said German-Chinese co-operation was an opportunity not a risk, even as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday urged better market access and a level playing field for German firms.

Scholz's three-day visit to Germany's largest trade partner comes at a tricky time as the European Union is seeking to reduce strategic dependencies - dubbed "de-risking" - and probing whether Chinese manufacturers are dumping subsidized goods on its market.

Both Scholz and Xi, who met for more than three hours in Beijing, highlighted the scope to intensify economic exchange between Asia and Europe's largest economies.

"We must view and develop bilateral relations in an all-round way from a long-term and strategic perspective," Xi said.

Xi pushed back against complaints by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about China's overproduction of green tech such as electric vehicles being unfairly supported by "massive" state subsidies.

AFP/dpa/Michael Kappeler

"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," Xi said.

Scholz, who is travelling with a raft of CEOs, has been cautious about pushing away China, an important market for Germany, saying the EU should not act out of protectionist self-interest. Still, competition between ought to be fair, he said in Shanghai on Monday.

"In other words, that there is no dumping, that there is no overproduction, that copyrights are not infringed," he said.

On Tuesday, when he also met China's Premier Li Qiang, he pressed the case for China to improve business conditions for German companies, guaranteeing equal market access, the protection of intellectual property and a reliable legal system.

#China #Germany

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Xi Jinping tells Germany's Scholz co-operation not a risk amid EU trade tension

Chinese President Xi Jinping said German-Chinese co-operation was an opportunity not a risk, even as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday urged better market access and a level playing field for German firms.

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