Xi Jinping holds call with German chancellor amid diplomatic instability
With frenemies like these…
On Friday, Xi Jinping held a call with Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz as part of an ongoing Chinese diplomatic blitz targeting the EU and its member states.
Xi repeated several familiar talking points, telling Merz (MoFA):
- “China is ready to work with Germany to open a new chapter in their all-round strategic partnership”
- “The two sides should…send a positive signal of upholding multilateralism and free trade”
Some context: The call was held on the same day that US President Donald Trump threatened to impose 50% tariffs on the EU starting June 1 if Washington and Brussels failed to achieve a satisfactory trade deal.
- Trump later extended the deadline to July 9.
Trump’s latest threats will smooth the path for China’s efforts to mend ties with Europe, right?
- Not so fast.
Also on Friday, the EU's ambassador to China, Jorge Toledo, expressed frustration at the lack of progress in discussions with China over the EU’s EV tariffs.
- “[Technical negotiations] are not making progress.”
- “I’m afraid we are not going to hold [the high-level economic and trade dialogue].”
- “We need deliverables.”
Get smart: China has said all the right things in its outreach to Europe, but has largely failed to translate rhetoric into results.
- Beijing will need to agree to some concrete deliverables to prove to Brussels that it’s a more reliable partner than Washington.