2021年12月30日
Mark O’Neill
EJ Insight
With China, EU tries to balance business and human rights
When Olaf Scholz took over as Chancellor of Germany on December 8, President Xi Jinping made a note in his diary to call him as soon as possible. His reason? Persuade him to be China's best ally in Europe.
The two had their conversation last Tuesday (December 21) and Xi partially achieved his objectives.
"Germany is willing to strengthen practical co-operation with China in clean energy, the digital economy and services," Scholz told Xi. "I hope the EU-China investment pact will take effect as soon as possible."
For five consecutive years, China has been Germany's biggest trading partner, with bilateral volume reaching 212.1 billion euros in 2020, according to official German figures. China is also the single most important market for the German automotive industry. ...
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