German Foreign Minister to remind China of values

European politicians continue their visits to China. Following the high-profile trip of French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock is making her first official visit to China from April 13 to 15. On April 12, it became known that this time the representative of the European Union would not accompany the representative of the state, as was the case with the Macron-von der Leyen pair: the chief European diplomat Josep Borrell, who planned to go to China at the same time as Burbock, contracted the coronavirus.

Burbock will take a tougher stance and try to smooth out the negative impression on American allies from the words of Macron, who said that the Europeans are not interested “in speeding up the solution of the Taiwan issue” and they need to strive for “strategic EU autonomy from the United States,” write Reuters and Politico. Burbock herself did not publicly criticize Macron on the eve of the visit, noting that France’s policy towards China is in line with the EU’s approach, according to DW (recognized as a foreign agent). But Burbock has a different opinion about the necessary degree of EU involvement in Asian affairs.