Olaf Scholz faces tricky balancing act in Germany

Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces a delicate balancing act this week at German-Chinese government consultations in Berlin, seeking to maintain good ties with
Germany’s largest trade partner while complying with a G7 pledge to “de-risk” from Beijing.
Scholz receives Chinese premier Li Qiang for dinner in the chancellery on Monday evening ahead of the seventh round of bilateral, biennial talks which are also the first face-to-face session since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The summit takes place on Tuesday in the chancellery before Li and the Chinese ministers for trade and reform attend the German-Chinese forum for economic and technological cooperation.
The fact Li chose Germany for his first overseas trip as premier reflects the special relationship between Europe and Asia’s largest economies. Rapid Chinese expansion and demand for German cars and machinery fuelled Germany’s own growth over the past two decades.