Xi and Scholz want peace in Ukraine – but the path remains unclear
Published: Tuesday, Apr 16th 2024, 13:50
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Following his meeting with German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for international cooperation in order to avoid further escalation in the Ukraine war and achieve a peaceful solution as soon as possible.
After more than three hours of talks on Tuesday, he appealed to all parties to contribute to easing tensions "instead of pouring oil on the fire".
However, Xi did not promise the chancellor that he would attend the peace summit planned for June in Switzerland, from which Russia is to be excluded, according to an official statement. He would only support such an international conference if it was accepted by both Russia and Ukraine, it said. However, they wanted to remain in positive contact about the conference in Switzerland as well as "other relevant international peace conferences" in the future.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has already rejected the Swiss initiative. 100 countries are to be invited to the conference. The hosts want to include as many countries as possible that are friendly towards Russia at the table - above all China.
Scholz: Ukraine war endangers international order
The nuclear power with a population of 1.4 billion is considered Russia's most important ally, but has so far made little use of its influence on the conflict. At the beginning of the talks, Scholz had urgently drawn Xi's attention to the devastating effects of the war. "Indirectly, they damage the entire international order, because they violate a principle of the United Nations Charter: the principle of the inviolability of state borders," he said. "The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and Russia's armament have a very significant negative impact on security in Europe."
ويتهم الغرب الصين بتزويد روسيا بالسلع التي يمكن استخدامها للأغراض المدنية والعسكرية على حد سواء، وبالتالي دعم اقتصاد الحرب الروسي. وكان شولتز قد أوضح بالفعل قبل الاجتماع أنه يريد معالجة هذه المسألة بوضوح. لم يتطرق شي إلى ذلك في بيانه. واكتفى بالقول إن الصين "ليست طرفًا وليست مشاركًا في الأزمة الأوكرانية".
Nobody should be on the menu
Scholz and Xi spoke for a total of three hours and 20 minutes - an unusually long time. They first spoke for an hour in a large group, followed by a 45-minute tea ceremony in private and finally a meal. With this in mind, Xi is said to have used a parable alluding to the resolution initiatives in the Ukraine war: Everyone should sit at the table, but no one should be on the menu.
Scholz and Xi once again agreed that nuclear weapons should not be used. This commitment by Xi was the great success of the chancellor's inaugural visit in November 2022. There was initially no sign of anything similar on Tuesday.
وتحدث شي عن "حقبة جديدة من الاضطرابات والقلاقل" تتزايد فيها المخاطر على البشرية جمعاء. "من أجل حل هذه المشاكل، من الضروري أن يكتسب التعاون بين القوى الكبرى اليد العليا". ومن هذا المنطلق، فإن التعاون المستقر بين الاقتصادات الكبرى في ألمانيا والصين أمر مهم. "معًا، يمكننا بث المزيد من الاستقرار والأمن في العالم."
اختبار عملي لاستراتيجية الصين: شي يحذر من الحمائية
Last summer, the German government adopted a comprehensive China strategy for the first time. It defines the country, which is ruled with a heavy hand by the communist leadership, as a partner, competitor and systemic rival. The core of the strategy is to reduce economic dependency on China in order to avoid a rude awakening like the one after the Russian attack on Ukraine when gas supplies were cut. This is known as de-risking or risk mitigation. Xi emphasized that cooperation between Germany and China does not represent a risk, but rather "a guarantee for the stability of relations".
He urgently warned against economic protection measures. Germany and China both depended on industry and supported free trade, he said, according to the official statement. "With this in mind, both sides should be wary of the rise of protectionism." The EU Commission is currently investigating whether the sale of Chinese electric cars in Europe is being improperly subsidized. Xi's statements are likely to be aimed at this.
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