Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, says he has urged Xi Jinping to press Russia to end its “senseless” war in Ukraine and that the Chinese president has agreed to back a peace conference in Switzerland. Scholz said after a meeting with Xi in Beijing on Tuesday that “China’s word carries weight in Russia”. “I have therefore asked President Xi to influence Russia so that Putin finally calls off his senseless campaign, withdraw his troops and ends this terrible war,” he said on social media platform X. Scholz said Xi had agreed…
Tag: Olaf Scholz
German chancellor urges Chinese industry bosses to play fair in EU market
The chancellor of Germany has urged industry bosses in China to play fair by not overproducing cheap goods or infringing copyright rules. Speaking on a three-day visit to China, where he is travelling with leading business representatives and three government ministers, Olaf Scholz said he, in turn, would encourage the European Union not to be driven by self-interested protectionism, in which governments restrict international trade to help domestic companies. Scholz was seen to be treading a careful path, driven by European concerns that Chinese goods are being dumped on the…
‘I will not dance’: Olaf Scholz joins TikTok with a promise
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has opened a TikTok account, promising he will not be seen dancing on the social media platform popular with young people. The newest official government channel “increases the information offer to citizens, who increasingly inform themselves and discuss politics on TikTok”, Scholz’s spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit, said in a statement. The account will offer “a look behind the scenes of everyday government life”, Hebestreit said. Known for his sober style of leadership, the chancellor himself made light of the new outreach, on another social media channel.…
Joe Biden to meet Olaf Scholz in effort to keep Ukraine strategies aligned
Joe Biden is due to meet the German chancellor as part of continuing efforts to keep the US and Europe aligned in their defence of Ukraine. It will be a working visit to the White House for Olaf Scholz, stripped of any pomp or protocol. No press conference has been planned for the meeting on Friday afternoon and the chancellor will reportedly not be bringing press with him. A senior administration official predicted it would be short but intense. “We’re expecting it to be a one-hour meeting or so,” the…
The Guardian view on Olaf Scholz’s visit to Beijing: treading a fine line | Editorial
The brevity of Olaf Scholz’s one-day visit to China, where he will meet President Xi Jinping on Friday, means that there will be little scope for the kind of colourful photo-ops that his predecessor, Angela Merkel, enjoyed during 12 visits to Germany’s most important trading partner. For Mr Scholz, who becomes the first G7 leader to visit Beijing since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, that is just as well. The optics of the German chancellor’s trip have already proved controversial enough. Mr Scholz is travelling with the traditional bevy…