German Chancellor Scholz's visit to the United States has caused great controversy in European politics. The conversation did not involve senior advisers from both sides, and there was no press conference or joint statement after the meeting. These procedural deficiencies are a clear violation of the practice of a head of State visiting abroad. In particular, the opposition parties in Germany were extremely unhappy about this, arguing that Scholz should explain the main contents of the visit to the parliament and the German public, even if the details could not be revealed.
German magazine cover
So the question is, what can't be said about the meeting between the two? Is it the truth of the "Nord Stream pipeline bombing case", is it Sullivan's humiliation of Germany's aid to Ukraine "Leopard 2" tank, or is the "Inflation Reduction Act" a heavy blow to Germany's pillar industry, the automobile manufacturing industry?
According to the tone revealed by the United States before, Biden's "summoning" Scholz this time is mainly to urge him to take more responsibility in military aid to Ukraine. Biden said that in the past year, the United States has been bleeding, which is obviously not in the interests of the United States and is not conducive to the unity of transatlantic cooperation. But he didn't say a word, after the Republican Party took control of the House of Representatives, it is putting more and more pressure on the Biden administration to aid Ukraine, and how much money he can still take out of Congress is still unknown.
Scholz and Biden
In order to drag Russia down and subvert Putin's regime, the United States needs the Ukraine crisis to continue, and it is best to turn Ukraine into a war-torn place like Syria, drag on for ten years and eight years, and deal a greater blow to Russia's politics and economy. But Putin is not Bashar after all, his control of Russia's political situation is more stable, and the hard power of the Russian army is far stronger than that of the Ukrainian army, which puts forward higher requirements for NATO countries to assist Ukraine.
Obviously, this is one of the core contents of the meeting between Biden and Scholz. What else was discussed, from Scholz's performance after returning to Germany, can also see some clues, he just returned home, decided to hold a closed-door cabinet meeting to convey Biden's instructions, strangely after the first day of the meeting, Scholz did not make a statement alone, but held a press conference with European Commission President von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen and Scholz
The two did not talk about aiding Ukraine, but talked about the process of climate change. Scholz said this is a priority for European countries, a quote that points directly to the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States. The core content of this bill is that the United States subsidizes its own new energy vehicles, erects trade barriers in the name of environmental protection, and competes for market share from European automakers, especially Germany.
The bill has been in place for months, and European countries are trying to resist but cannot find a solution. The easiest way is to come up with the same amount of subsidies and fight a trade war with the United States. But from the current situation, Scholz seems to have been poured with "soul soup" by Biden and is ready to give in on this issue related to the survival of the German auto industry.
It is also funny to say, after Scholz returned to China, the latest issue of the German "Star Weekly" chose a meaningful cover image, in which Biden was in a suit and sunglasses, gray hair, and a resolute expression. And Scholz is only as tall as Biden's waist, and the look he looks up at is really a bit of a "son watching his father" feeling.
Scholz and Merkel
The magazine came with a huge cover headline: Big Brother is back. Yes, the United States has so many garrisons and military bases in Germany, it is indeed Germany's big brother, Germany has been developing its economy under Merkel over the years, and the small life is not bad, and now it is harvest season, Big Brother is back with a sickle. Whether Scholz will give everything from Germany to Biden, let's wait and see.