After Xi’s visit in Germany

By George N. Tzogopoulos
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, July 11, 2017
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Chinese President Xi Jinping met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on July 5, 2017. [Xinhua]



Following his stopover in Moscow, President Xi Jinping went to Germany, Europe’s most powerful country, with a double purpose: to further strengthen the Sino-German partnership and to attend the G20 Summit.

To start with the former, Berlin welcomed him with Chinese flags hanging in front of the Brandenburg Gate. This was not particularly new for the German capital, as only a few weeks ago Premier Li Keqiang had also paid an official visit.

The Chinese leadership highly respects German Chancellor Angela Merkel and trusts her policies. Being in power since 2005, Merkel provides a guarantee of continuity and progress in the relationship between her country and China, as well as on developments at the European level.

Although China does not seek to interfere in the internal affairs of other states, the projected victory of the chancellor in the September federal election will certainly raise hopes of stability amid growing uncertainty and unprecedented political changes in Europe such as Brexit.

The Chinese leadership also highly appreciates Merkel’s catalytic role in keeping the Eurozone together, steering the EU out of economic crisis and paving the way for difficult compromises such as the EU-Turkey agreement managing the refugee crisis.

The Sino-German relationship is officially described as an "all round strategic partnership." On the whole, Beijing can invest in German innovative capacity, offering access to the huge Chinese market in return.

Also, the current ambivalent stance of President Donald Trump on important international issues such as climate change leave room for the two sides to explore new patterns of cooperation. The prestigious Mercator Institute for Chinese Studies, for instance, recently organized an important conference on the matter encouraging China and Germany to join forces in global climate policy and world governance.

Nevertheless, despite the exchange of high level visits, the two sides partly disagree on their future economic collaboration. The more China is pushing for the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative in Europe and for the acquisition of foreign companies – several of which are German – the more Germany is concerned about future implications.

Furthermore, Berlin is seeking additional opportunities for the investment of German companies in all regions of China. China is gradually responding to these concerns by enhancing its public image. This said, President Xi was successful in burnishing the image of a friend for his country during his Berlin stay.

This was why he visited the Berlin Zoo, the home of two pandas loaned by China, and also watched a football game between young Chinese and German players. Undoubtedly, cultural diplomacy can help overcome barriers.

Continuing on to the G20 Summit, Xi made a significant speech in Hamburg reiterating China’s support for globalization and free trade. In particular, his address was built around four pillars.

The first was the proposed future commitment on building an open global economy. The second was the required search for new sources of growth based on innovation and digitalization as well as implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The third was the necessary cooperation to achieve more inclusive global growth in parallel with an efficient balance between the advancement of technology and the creation of new job positions for those lost. And the fourth was the suggested improvement of world economic governance for the prevention of new financial crises and the tackling of problems such as tax-evasion and tax-avoidance.

As a matter of principle, the Chinese administration does not lack plans to respond to unpredictable developments in world economic affairs, if required. Discontinuity and uncertainty constitute an anathema for a country counting on steady progress and calm.

Within this framework, Xi referred in his address to the Hangzhou consensus of last September’s G20 summit, as well as on the compatibility of the Belt and Road Initiative with G20 objectives.

The Hamburg Summit ended with a communiqué endorsing globalization and free trade. It included references, for instance, to the need of defensive measures in pursuit of balanced trade and the ensuring of a level playing field can be perhaps regarded as a diplomatic tolerance of the G19 to secure the non-withdrawal of the U.S. from the final statement.

Overall, Xi stressed the necessity of international collaboration to boost interconnected growth. As China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed, the president made clear that the G20 "should adhere to a path of open development and mutual benefit leading to ‘everyone wins’ results, supporting a multilateral trade mechanism, and promoting international trade and investment."

George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/GeorgeNTzogopoulos.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

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