Germany's Chancellor Scholz travels to China to discuss trade and Ukraine
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Chancellor Olaf Scholz travels to China this weekend in the wake of other EU leaders, in an attempt to develop new economic ties. He is also likely to ask Beijing to put pressure on Moscow over Ukraine.
With the economies of both China and Germany currently under performing, Scholz will travel with a bumper delegation of ministers and business executives.
While much of the focus will be on inking new business deals with the Chinese, he is also expected to raise the issue of Chinese subsidies.
Chinese subsidies
Just this week, for example, Brussels opened an investigation into alleged unfair competition involving Chinese wind turbine producers who are flooding the EU market with their products while receiving financial support from Beijing.
A recent study by the EU Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) concludes that Brussel's approach to China has been "largely defensive".
It points out that the international system "is in a state of flux and [with] the liberal rules-based order being called into question, the EU must develop a strategic vision of its own preferred international order and a guiding foreign policy vision."
A 2019 EU policy paper declared China a "systemic rival" which led to the opening of discussions among EU member states about how to deal with Beijing.
France too is taking a slightly milder approach towards Beijing.
Read more on RFI English
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