Abstract

German Chancellor Scholz arrived in Beijing with a business delegation for a one-day official visit to China on November 4. Since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic, this was the first visit to China by a European leader, and the first visit to China since Scholz became German chancellor, three years after Angela Merkel's last visit to China. During this period, Germany formed a new three-party (SPD, Greens and FDP) coalition government; the world economy and international situation are undergoing profound changes due to the ongoing impact of the COVID epidemic and the Ukraine crisis. At a time when the U.S. is pushing its "decoupling" agenda with China, the EU sees China as a "systemic competitor" and Germany is reshaping its China policy, Scholz's "lightning visit" to China has triggered intense controversy in Europe, revealing differences within Germany, within the EU and between Germany (and Europe) and the US. What signal did Scholz’s visit to Beijing send, despite its internal and external pressure? How should China view Scholz's visit to China in order to accurately grasp the direction of Sino-German (European) relations?