German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Beijing on Monday for a two-day visit at the invitation of Wang Yi. Her trip comes amid a surprise visit by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where he met with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
The German Foreign Ministry described Monday's dialogue with Wang as "exhaustive and open" on both topics where cooperation was possible and on issues where there were clear differences, especially on security and economic policy. In particular, Baerbock spoke about the dangers of China's expanding support for Russia and its negative impact on EU-China relations.
Baerbock said at a press conference on Monday that Germany and Europe are closely linked to China through trade and have "similar interests." In a veiled reference to US President-elect Donald Trump, she said Europe and China "are united by the fact that neither of us wants a trade war or tariffs as an end in themselves."
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