By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-10-03 06:03:41 | Updated at 2024-10-03 09:07:49
3 hours ago
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is set to visit China in the coming days at a time critical in both the Ukraine war and conflicts in the Middle East, according to people familiar with the matter.
Two sources familiar with discussion about Baerbock’s plan to visit said the trip had been “largely confirmed”. They both declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
“It is going to happen in the coming days within this month,” said one source, declining to give an exact date.
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02:03
Chinese-made electric vehicles face additional EU import tariffs of up to 38%
Chinese-made electric vehicles face additional EU import tariffs of up to 38%
Also confirming the trip, a second source said there would be “plenty to discuss” during the visit, as both sides needed such an opportunity to exchange views on “various issues”, but declined to give further details.
The trip to Beijing by Germany’s top diplomat would come six months after German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s widely watched trip to China.
The timing of Baerbock’s visit is critical for the Ukraine war as Kyiv seeks to convince Washington of its victory plan and pleads for rapid support before the US presidential elections in November and a possible change of government.
The United States and its Nato allies are voicing increasing unease over China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, which China denies.
