Klingbeil in China. From equals to supplicants? No results achieved.

German Delegation's Objectives in China

• 💡 Lars Klingbeil, Germany's Vice Chancellor, visited China to meet with Vice Premier He Lifeng.
• 🎯 Klingbeil aimed to discuss several key issues on an equal footing, including the Ukraine war, Taiwan, and access to critical raw materials like rare earths.
• 💰 Other objectives included securing free and transparent access for German financial companies and industries to the Chinese market.

China's Stance on Geopolitical Issues

• ⚠️ Discussions regarding the Ukraine war and Taiwan were ignored by the Chinese side.
• 🇷🇺 China views the conflict as beneficial, as it weakens both Europe/USA and Russia, making Russia increasingly dependent on China.
• 🛡️ China has no interest in Russia losing, as a Russian defeat would free up NATO/US resources to focus on Asia, which China wants to prevent.

Germany's Perceived Status and Dependence

• 📉 The speaker characterized Germany's position as that of a "supplicant" or "beggar," not an equal partner.
• 🌍 Germany's 90% dependence on Chinese rare earths was highlighted as a major vulnerability, reducing its negotiating power.

Market Access and Reciprocity

• 🤝 Regarding German requests for market access, China indicated a desire for a reciprocal, non-discriminatory environment for both sides.
• 🚧 This implies China expects unlimited access to European markets in return, raising concerns about allowing a "systemic opponent" into critical industries, as seen with the Hamburg container terminal issue.

Outcome of the Visit

• ❌ The visit yielded no concrete results, with no agreements or contracts being signed.
• 💬 The speaker described it as merely a "friendly visit" without any real success, suggesting it was naive to expect otherwise.
• 📈 China is unlikely to change its export policy on rare earths, as it has no incentive to do so.