German chancellor pressures China over Russian invasion of Ukraine – Winnipeg Free Press

BEIJING (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday that he had asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to pressure Russia to end its “crazy campaign” in Ukraine, the latest in a parade of European leaders and senior officials to make similar appeals.

China has accused Europe and the United States of prolonging the fighting by arming Ukraine and has called for peace talks that recognize the concerns of Russia and Ukraine, and has shown no signs of changing its stance.

After the talks between Xi Jinping and Scholz in the Chinese capital, China said in a statement: “China is not a participant in the Ukraine crisis, but is promoting peace talks in its own way.”

Scholz, who is wrapping up a three-day trip to China, told reporters he believes the “building blocks have been put in place” to facilitate discussions on diplomatic efforts to end the war.

Earlier, he said in a post on the social media platform X that he asked Xi to use his influence on Russia.

“China's words are important in Russia. “So I asked President Xi to show patience with Russia so that Putin can stop his crazy campaign, withdraw his troops and end this terrible war,” he wrote.

China has broken with the West by refusing to criticize Russia's aggression. While the government has said it will not send military aid to Moscow, it has provided economic aid by increasing trade with Russia and helping it cope with Western sanctions. Last week, a U.S. intelligence report said Beijing had increased equipment sales to Moscow to indirectly bolster its war effort against Ukraine.

According to Scholz, the talks covered China's exports of dual-purpose goods, which could be for both civilian and military purposes.

“There is an absolute insistence on no arms exports, but the issue of dual use should not be overlooked,” he said. “And here all that is needed can be raised in such a way that it is not misunderstood.”

According to a transcript of the German government's remarks at the start of the meeting with Xi Jinping, Scholz also said that the use of nuclear weapons should not even be threatened.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last month that his government was prepared to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or independence were threatened.

The Chinese statement said the two leaders stressed that China and Germany are committed to the UN Charter and oppose the use of nuclear weapons.

“China supports all efforts to resolve the crisis peacefully, and supports the timely holding of an international peace conference that will be recognized by both Russia and Ukraine and will ensure equal participation of all parties and a fair discussion of the issues. all peace plans,” the Chinese statement said.

On the issue of trade, Xi told Scholz that their two countries should be vigilant against the rise of protectionism and look objectively at the issue of production capacity.

The German leader's visit highlighted trade tensions as the European Union and the United States complain that China is competing unfairly by using subsidies that have fueled China's massive manufacturing capacity, particularly for solar panels, electric cars and other green energy products.

The EU is considering tariffs to protect its manufacturers from cheaper electric car imports from China, which it fears will take over the European market.

Scholz met separately with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and called for concrete improvements in several areas, including market access, fair competition, intellectual property protection and the legal system for German companies operating in China.

“For these companies to be able to continue doing this, they need the right conditions,” he said.

Despite political and trade tensions, China was Germany's top trading partner for the eighth consecutive year in 2023, with 254.1 billion euros ($271 billion) in goods and services between the two sides, slightly more than Germany's trade with the United States, but 15, 5 % reduction compared to the previous year.

This is Scholz's second visit to China since becoming chancellor in late 2021. It is his first visit since the German government proposed a China strategy last year, which has drawn criticism from Beijing. Li, the Chinese premier, visited Berlin in June.

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Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Christopher Bodin in Taipei, Taiwan contributed to this report.