London Daily

Focus on the big picture.

Germany foreign minister embarks on post-Macron ‘damage control’ in China trip

Germany foreign minister embarks on post-Macron ‘damage control’ in China trip

Germany’s foreign minister begins a visit to China on Thursday aiming to reassert a common European Union policy toward Beijing days after remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron suggested disarray in the continent’s approach to the rising superpower.
Macron provoked a backlash in the United States and Europe when he called on the European Union to reduce dependence on the US and cautioned against being drawn into a crisis over Taiwan driven by an “American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction.”

Many European politicians, diplomats and analysts saw Macron’s comments in an interview with Politico and French daily Les Echos as a gift to what they called Beijing’s goal of dismantling transatlantic unity.

As a result, the stakes of the inaugural trip by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock have risen, with many EU members hoping Berlin will use this opportunity to set out a clear and united EU line on China, analysts said.

Macron was widely seen as taking a weak line on Taiwan by warning Europe should not get “caught up in crises that are not ours” – although his office insisted this was not his intended meaning and his position on Taiwan and China had not changed.

“Now it is about damage control to a large degree ... But the cloud of Macron’s visit is very big and still it’s very unclear how this balance will play out in the end,” Alicja Bachulska, a China-EU relations researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations in Warsaw, told Reuters.

Even without Macron’s remarks the trip would have been delicate for Baerbock, who has been more hawkish on China than Chancellor Olaf Scholz and is drafting a China policy aimed at reducing Germany’s economic dependence on Beijing.

“She was sort of perceived as being a troublemaker. I’d be surprised if this does not play a role at all in her visit,” Tim Ruehlig, China expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations, told Reuters.

Baerbock must now make Germany’s position on Taiwan clear during her visit, German foreign policy parliamentarian Nils Schmid told Reuters, adding Macron’s remarks had destroyed a hoped-for impetus for a common European China policy.

The foreign minister is due to meet her counterpart Qin Gang and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on the two-day trip.

Speaking ahead of her visit, Baerbock said the top of her agenda would be reminding China of its responsibility to influence Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine and underlining a common European conviction that a unilateral change in the status quo in the Taiwan Strait would be unacceptable.

Europe’s view of China as partner, competitor and systemic rival is the compass of its policy, she added.

“It is clear to me that we have no interest in economic decoupling ... but we must take a more systematic look at the risks of one-sided dependencies and reduce them,” Baerbock said.

Some EU capitals — particularly those in Central and Eastern Europe, which cherish their ties with the US — will be hoping Baerbock’s stance is closer to the one expressed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen who visited Beijing at the same time as Macron.

Many analysts drew a contrast between Macron’s remarks and those from von der Leyen that were widely seen as more critical of Beijing. Just days before the visit she said Europe must “de-risk” diplomatically and economically with a hardening China.

“More von der Leyen than Macron should be her guideline,” conservative foreign policy lawmaker Johann Wadephul, who will join Baerbock on her trip, told Reuters.
Newsletter

Related Articles

London Daily
0:00
0:00
Close
Kamala Harris Claims to Own Guns, Denies Supporting Mandatory Buyback—Yet Said the Opposite Weeks Ago
Outrage in Uxbridge: 12 Police Officers Arrest Woman Over a Sandwich, Then Arrest Bystander for Swearing
Polaris Dawn: Historic Private Spacewalk Initiated
Sir Paul Marshall Acquires The Spectator for £100 Million
Neighbours Criticise Germany Over Extended Border Controls
Mazan Village in Shock Over Mass Rape Trial
Harris Commands Debate Against Trump
Wealthy Nations Criticized for Hypocrisy on Climate Protests
Controversial Netanyahu Documentary Premieres in Toronto
Labour's Winter Fuel Cut Passes Amid Controversy
Germany's New Border Controls: A Threat to EU Unity?
Global Religious Groups Spend Billions to Undermine Gender-Equality Education
Dave Grohl Announces Birth of Baby Girl
Brigitte Macron to Make Cameo in Netflix's Emily in Paris
Olympic Medals Stolen from Australian Rower's Car in Melbourne
Russia Receives Iranian Ballistic Missiles for Use in Ukraine
US and Europe Consider Easing Restrictions on Ukraine's Long-Range Strikes
Brazilian President Visits Amazon Amid Severe Drought and Wildfires
Concerns Raised Over Early Release of Prisoners
Labour Special Advisers Join Union Over Pay Concerns
NHS Trust Admits Contaminated Feed Caused Baby's Death After Decade of Denial
Dubai Conference Cancels Talk by Ex-Children’s Hospital Doctor Under Investigation
Manchester Adopts 'Housing First' to Combat Rough Sleeping
Airbnb Calls for More Power to Cornwall Council
EU Court Orders Google to Pay €2.4 Billion Fine
Apple Ordered to Pay Ireland €13bn in Unpaid Taxes
State Pension to Rise by £460 Next Year
Jeffrey Titford, Former UKIP Leader, Passes Away at 90
Grandmother Jailed for Stealing £70,000 from Bramcote School
Former Minister Sentenced for Defrauding Church and Widow
King Charles III to Undertake Extensive Australia Tour Amid Cancer Treatment
Early Release of Over 1,700 Prisoners Sparks Safety Concerns
UK Halts Iran Flights Amid New Sanctions
Prince William Celebrates Kate's Milestone and Welsh Culture
Government Plans Winter Fuel Payment Cuts After Commons Vote
Sir Keir Starmer Addresses Unions on Pay Decisions
Watchdog Recommends Expanding Acceptable ID for Voting
Internet Surpasses TV as UK's Leading News Source
House of Lords Warns UK Must Address Unsustainable Debt
Victims Unaware of Offenders' Early Release in England and Wales
Top Former US Military Leaders Endorse Kamala Harris, Criticize Trump
Kate Middleton Completes Chemotherapy, Gains New Perspective
Australia Implements Minimum Age for Social Media Use
Kim Jong Un Announces Increase in North Korea's Nuclear Arsenal
Chancellor Faces Labour MPs Over Winter Fuel Allowance Cut
Report Criticizes Sunak and Braverman for Comments on Met Police
Peter Nygard Sentenced to 11 Years for Sexual Assault
Princess Kate Resumes Public Duties Amid Cancer Treatment
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THE UK COULDN'T SINK ANY LOWER… NOW UK WANT TO SUMMON ELON MUSK OVER "TOO MUCH FREE SPEECH" ON X
What Democrats hiding? CNBC SLAMS KAMALA FOR AVOIDING INTERVIEWS
×