German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to use his influence on Russia to put an end as soon as possible to the invasion of Ukraine, which began almost eight months ago, and thus appealed to the Asian giant’s «responsibility» for peace.
During his visit to China, Scholz took the opportunity to meet with China’s head of state and outgoing Premier Li Keqiang, with whom he discussed current challenges for international politics.
He pointed out that China is «a great country» and emphasized that the parties consider Russian rhetoric on the use of nuclear weapons «unacceptable». Scholz defended the visit and indicated that it is «right to be in Beijing».
Xi, for his part, stressed the importance of two «influential powers» working together with «respect» in «times of change and chaos». The Chinese leader urged «cooperation» to achieve an improvement in relations despite criticism from the West.
In what was Scholz’s first visit to the country as German Chancellor, Xi said that the meeting will allow the two countries to «deepen cooperation» in various fields, according to the South China Morning Post.
The German chancellor’s trip has generated excitement as he is the first G7 leader to visit the country since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The visit has also led to increased tension as Western politicians advocate economic measures in relation to the Chinese model.
Scholz admitted Thursday that the war in Ukraine has changed international relations, but said that, «even under these circumstances, China remains an important trade and business partner for Germany and Europe. «We do not want to disassociate ourselves from it (…) but we cannot depend on it either,» he stressed then.
