In April 2024, a number of dignitaries visited China one after another, and China set off another wave of "spring diplomacy". On the 14th, Beijing time, China welcomed another important guest - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
This is Scholz's second visit to China since he took office as German chancellor. Compared to November 2022, Scholz's trip was longer and the itinerary was richer.
This time, Scholz came to China with three German ministers and a number of business executives, and the lineup can be called luxurious.
Material sources: Reuters, AFP, Merck KGaA's official website, etc.; The schematic diagram of the aircraft is generated by AI.
According to Handelsblatt, the arrival of German Environment Minister Lemke, Agriculture Minister Özdemir, and Transport and Digitalization Minister Wisin means that the German government seeks to expand cooperation with China in the fields of climate, environmental protection, and transportation.
According to foreign media, the list of high-level business delegations accompanying the German Chancellor on his visit includes well-known executives such as Siemens CEO Boleren, Mercedes-Benz Chairman Kang Linsong, and BMW Chairman Zipzer.
The significance of a prime minister's visit to China with various industry giants is self-evident.
According to a Reuters analysis, the list of executives highlights the "important weight" of China as Germany's largest trading partner.
China and Germany established diplomatic relations in 1972 and upgraded to an all-round strategic partnership in 2014. In recent years, China-Germany relations have maintained a high level of development, and the two countries have close high-level exchanges.
In 2022, Scholz became the first European leader to visit China after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, clearly expressing Germany's view that China is an important economic and trade partner and opposes "decoupling" from China.
After that visit, China and Germany successively held the seventh round of government-to-government consultations, high-level financial dialogues, and video meetings between leaders.
Scholz has repeatedly reiterated that the German government has no intention of "decoupling" from China, and hopes to continue the good relations between the two countries, deepen cooperation, and maintain close communication with China on major international issues.
"Economic and trade relations are the cornerstone of Sino-German relations."
According to the German Federal Statistical Office, the bilateral trade volume between Germany and China in 2023 will be 253.1 billion euros, and China has been Germany's largest trading partner in the world for eight consecutive years. Germany has been China's largest trading partner in Europe for 49 consecutive years.
According to Reuters, on the eve of Scholz's visit to China, a study by the German Institute for Economic Research showed that the German economy is highly dependent on China for many products and raw materials.
Ling Ji, Vice Minister of Commerce of China and Deputy Representative for International Trade Negotiations, once said that the current Sino-German economic and trade relations have formed a good situation of "you have me, I have you", and investing in China has become a common need for the development of Chinese and German enterprises, and it will also help German enterprises enhance their global competitiveness.
According to a report by the German Institute for Economic Research, the total amount of German direct investment in China reached a record 11.9 billion euros in 2023, an increase of 4.3% over the previous year. In the same year, German investment in China accounted for 10.3 percent of Germany's total overseas investment, the highest level since 2014.
Automobiles, chemicals, power generation equipment, transportation, iron and steel, and telecommunications are all important focus of German investment in China.
On the eve of Scholz's visit to China, Ma Mingbo, chief representative of the Shanghai Representative Office of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in an interview that German companies are generally optimistic about China's investment environment. He said that in 2023, German direct investment in China will rise against the trend, which shows the confidence of German companies in the development of China.
Germany's long-term investment in the Chinese market has not only contributed to China's economic development, but also obtained rich returns.
According to public information from the German Foreign Office, the Chinese market is crucial for German companies, especially in the fields of mechanical engineering, automobiles and auto parts, electrical engineering and chemicals.
Sino-German exchanges and economic and trade exchanges are not only beneficial to the two countries, but also can lead the development of China-EU relations.
At present, Sino-German trade accounts for one-third of the total trade between China and the EU, and German investment in China accounts for one-third of the EU's investment in China.
"German-Chinese economic and trade cooperation is a model of globalisation, and the two countries should work together to meet the challenges and bring greater certainty to German-Chinese business cooperation. Friedrich, chairman of the German-Chinese parliamentary group of the German Bundestag, once said.
In April 2002, China and Germany signed the Agreement on Mutual Recognition of the Equivalence of Higher Education to facilitate the study of scholars from the two countries in each other's countries. As of May 2023, the total number of Chinese students and scholars in Germany exceeds 51,000.
Germany is also China's largest partner in vocational education. Sino-German cooperation has established 19 Confucius Institutes and 2 independent Confucius Classrooms in Germany.
In the eyes of the Germans, China has a long history and rich natural scenery; At the same time, Germany's unique beauty and culture also attract many Chinese tourists.
From January to September 2023, 231,600 Chinese mainland residents visited Germany and German citizens visited China 150,600.
In the close people-to-people exchanges, the people of the two countries have deepened their understanding of each other, and written a story of Sino-German friendship.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China-Germany relations have been resilient and stable, and the two countries have carried out practical cooperation in various fields and achieved fruitful results. In the future, it is believed that Sino-German cooperation will further unleash great potential.