Germany’s Olaf Scholz visits Japan, not China, on first Asia trip
- His predecessor Angela Merkel, in contrast, made her first visit to China, which she travelled to twice as often as Japan
- German lawmakers just passed a Ukraine war petition that includes a clause calling on Scholz to threaten to punish China if it helps Russia circumvent sanctions
Germany seeks closer ties with countries that share democratic values in the Asia-Pacific region, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday, visiting Japan rather than top trading partner China during his first official trip to the region.
“It is no coincidence that my first trip as chancellor to this region has led today here, to Tokyo,” he said. “My trip is a clear political signal that Germany and the EU will continue and intensify their engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.”
In a joint news conference, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida underscored the two countries’ rejection of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and warned of possible attempts also in Asia to move territorial boundaries by force.
The Ukraine crisis has highlighted Germany’s energy reliance on Russia and is spurring Berlin to take security more into account in its foreign and trade policy and to strengthen ties with allies.
The first trip by Scholz’s predecessor Angela Merkel to Asia was to China, which has refrained from criticising Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Merkel visited China twice as often as she did Japan, with German companies benefiting from booming Chinese economic growth.
