Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is calling for measures against China if Beijing supports Russia with drones. This puts Chancellor Olaf Scholz under pressure before his talks with Xi Jinping at the G20 summit.
Patrick Diekmann reports from Rio de Janeiro
After the traffic light collapsed, Germany suddenly finds itself in the midst of an election campaign ahead of the early federal elections in February. All parties are currently trying to differentiate themselves from the competition in terms of content. This is particularly true in times when foreign policy is confronted with several global crises.
At the G20 summit in the Brazilian metropolis, Chancellor Olaf Scholz left no doubt about how he would like to present himself in foreign policy during the election campaign: as peace chancellor.
In Brazil, Scholz once again stated that he rejects the delivery of the German Taurus cruise missile to Ukraine. “This is something I cannot be responsible for,” said the Chancellor at a press conference in Rio on Monday. The SPD politician wants to be the candidate for the chancellorship who enters into dialogue with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin or with Chinese President Xi Jinping. With this, Scholz wants to score points in the Mützenich camp of the SPD.
The situation is different for the Greens, who advocate a much tougher foreign policy stance towards China and Russia than the SPD. That’s why Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock took the opportunity at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday to demand consequences for China because Beijing is allegedly supporting Russia with drones.
In view of the Chancellor’s phone call with the Russian President, she also called for additional European efforts against Russia.
Baerbock threw a stone into the Chancellor’s diplomatic spokes before the start of the G20 summit. Scholz seemed surprised. In Rio it remained unclear whether Baerbock’s move had been agreed upon. Only one thing became clear: the Green politician had posed problems for the Chancellor.
The second day of the summit on Tuesday begins with a bang: Olaf Scholz meets Chinese President Xi Jinping for bilateral talks. Details of the exchange will probably not be known, but the federal government wants to put many critical issues on the table – including talking about arms deliveries to Russia.
“It is always a topic in my discussions to warn everyone that they are supplying lethal weapons to Russia. And that is why this will continue to be the case in the future, a central topic,” said Scholz when asked whether he supported the alleged delivery of Chinese weapons Drones to Russia will be addressed at the meeting on Tuesday.
At such meetings, Scholz added, he always discussed the delivery of so-called “dual-use” goods, which can be used for both military and civilian purposes. He will stay there too. It will also be about the use of North Korean troops in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. “This cannot be accepted and is, by the way, a terrible change,” said the Chancellor.
The content and tonality of Scholz’s statements were significantly different than was the case with Baerbock.
According to Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, the federal government assumes that China is supporting Russia with drones. “This must and will have consequences,” she said on the sidelines of the EU meeting.
Baerbock relies on EU intelligence information. She made it clear that China should expect a similar reaction to Iran. But was this agreed upon between the Chancellery and the Foreign Office? This question was on the minds of many observers at the G20 summit in Brazil, but the answer can only be guessed at.
And: If the federal government has new information about Chinese support for Russia, why is this being made public by Baerbock in Brussels?
