Olaf Scholz in China about Ukraine and Taiwan. OSW expert: wordless declarations will be ignored by China

Scholz said at a press conference after meeting with the leader China Xi Jinping that asked him to use “his influence” on Russiathat it would stop its “aggressive war” against Ukraine. He also spoke out against any change in the status quo Taiwanwhich would not be done peacefully and with the consent of both sides.

– Standard. Violent declarations, nothing more. It flows over the Chinese, because they know that it is a ritual for Scholz. His reaction to the Russian aggression on Ukraine tells them more than all the empty words of the chancellor – assessed Dr. Bogusz.

According to an OSW expert, Beijing’s goal is to break up the transatlantic community, or at least to stop the coordination between the United States and the European Union in relation to China.

– To this end, they will influence Berlin as the weakest link, counting on the lobbying of large German corporations dependent on the Chinese market, traditional anti-Americanism of some sectors of German society and the aversion of some members of the German political class to change – assessed Dr. Bogusz.

He stressed, however, that v Germany there are forces that drive change. – The Greens want a serious revision of relations with China, including quick addressing of economic dependence. They are supported by the FDP, which expresses the interests of medium and small business destroyed by Chinese state-supported competition, he noted.

– The German public opinion polls also show how the chancellor and the big business supporting him are increasingly detached from the internal discussion in Germany – noted Dr. Bogusz, referring to the latest ARD-DeutschlandTrend survey.

In the survey, 49 percent. of respondents assessed that Germany should limit economic cooperation with China. One in three respondents was in favor of continuing relations with Beijing to the extent they had been so far, and only one in ten was in favor of extending them. As much as 87 percent respondents decided that the government in Berlin should ensure greater economic independence of Germany from non-democratic countries.

Scholz’s visit to China on Friday sparked controversy in the West, including within the German ruling coalition. It fueled the discussion about the dependence of the German economy on the PRC and the unity of the West towards that country in the context of its close ties with Russia. It also gave birth to comparisons with Berlin’s discredited policy towards Moscow.