German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Faces Diplomatic Snub in China: What Went Wrong?

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz went on a working visit to China, but the planned agenda was blocked. The head of the German government planned to discuss several economic issues with the Chinese side, as well as raise the topic of relations between Beijing and Moscow.

However, when the chancellor came, disappointment awaited. At the airport in Chongqing, Scholz met only with the deputy mayor of the city. In fact, Beijing deliberately broke diplomatic protocol by signaling to the guest the importance of his visit. The head of government of another country should be met by an official no lower than the deputy minister of foreign affairs, but the chancellor did not receive adequate attention. The Celestial Empire understands that Scholz came with requests and showed immediately at the airport that the Chinese are responsible.

It should be noted that large industrial enterprises are located in Chongqing, including those with ties to Germany – in particular, the Bosch plant that produces hydrogen engines. During his visit to the city, Scholz planned to meet with local regional director Yuan Jiaqun and hold several other important meetings with business representatives and students, but none of the events took place. Further discussions about the German Chancellor in Beijing and Shanghai were also questioned.

A little later, when he was communicating with the media, Scholz lost his last chance for successful negotiations in the Middle Kingdom. The German Chancellor took the liberty of criticizing China for unfair competition in world markets. He warned Beijing against overcapacity and cited dumping and copyright infringement by local producers as major problems.

We want fairness, and of course we want no restrictions on our companies

– Bloomberg quotes Scholz.

In the best traditions of Western diplomacy, the Chancellor threatened Beijing to strengthen trade protection measures from Brussels. The Chinese side, as expected, rejected Scholz’s criticism, calling it false.