China Germany Photo:VCG
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil on Sunday begins a visit to China to take part in the fourth China-Germany High-Level Financial Dialogue. As the first minister of the new coalition government to travel to China – following Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s postponed trip – Klingbeil’s visit, while viewed by some Chinese analysts as an “ice-breaker” for bilateral relations, comes as the German government rolls out a slew of measures that cast China in a negative light on trade. Experts warn that Berlin needs to break out of its clichéd pattern of treating China as a competitor while professing the importance of stable ties.
Klingbeil will be accompanied by senior executives from German banks and insurance companies, Deutschlandfunk reported on Sunday, noting that Klingbeil is the first member of the new federal government to be received in China. In October, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul postponed a planned trip to Beijing.
“We should not talk about China, but talk with China,” Klingbeil told the German Press Agency dpa ahead of his trip. “China is an important international actor: there are many global problems that we can only solve together with China.”
As agreed between China and Germany, the fourth China-Germany High-Level Financial Dialogue will be held in Beijing on November 17. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Premier of the State Council and the Chinese lead person of the Dialogue He Lifeng will co-chair the Dialogue with Vice Chancellor, Federal Minister of Finance and the German lead person of the Dialogue Lars Klingbeil, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Friday.
After the talks in Beijing, Klingbeil will visit Shanghai on Wednesday – the classic route taken by senior German politicians visiting China, according to Handelsblatt.
Klingbeil’s visit to China is a well-timed move. As vice chancellor and finance minister, he carries significant political weight, Jiang Feng, a research fellow at Shanghai International Studies University and president of the Shanghai Association of Regional and Country Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday. Jiang noted that the visit signals the German government still sees stable and constructive ties with China as a priority.
Calling Klingbeil’s visit an “ice-breaker” and “bridge-builder,” Jiang said it is also expected to clarify and resolve several misunderstandings or communication gaps that emerged after the German foreign minister postponed his planned visit. Klingbeil’s arrival may also serve as an important interim step and lay essential groundwork for future visits by the chancellor or the president.
According to Handelsblatt, Klingbeil acknowledged existing differences between the two countries.
Klingbeil should focus on his primary mandate while in Beijing – economic and financial cooperation, Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times.
As Klingbeil seeks negotiations on trade and other issues with China, Politico said in a report that lawmakers in the Bundestag on Thursday approved legislation that would give new tools to the Interior Ministry to ban the use of components from specific manufacturers in certain sectors. The Politico report wrote that “the law comes as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday signaled a tougher stance against Chinese tech giant Huawei, telling a business conference in Berlin that he ‘won’t allow any components from China in the 6G network.'”
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Germany’s coalition government plans to re-examine its trade policies toward China including on energy, raw material imports and Chinese investment in critical German infrastructure and will set up a committee of experts to report to parliament.
When it comes to cooperation with China, German government has the tendency of turning economic and trade issues into matters of “security.” Such a move, Jiang said, not only undermines established international trade rules, but also damages the global trading system on which Germany’s export-oriented economy depends, and will ultimately backfire on Germany itself.
Cui said Germany’s current approach is riddled with contradictions. While Klingbeil comes to China talking about the importance of cooperation, Berlin keeps tightening scrutiny and remains full of suspicion on economic issues with China.
If Germany hopes to work together with China, it must form a clear China strategy and repair trust. “Rebuilding mutual confidence is essential; without it, any talk of cooperation will remain hollow,” said Cui.