What Scholz should bear in mind on his trip to Beijing

Olaf Scholz will be in Beijing this weekend, making the first visit of a western leader to China since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. What might at any other time be regarded as a routine piece of diplomatic outreach is instead a matter of deep concern.

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, has just cemented his position as dictator-for-life at the Chinese Communist party’s 20th congress. Beijing has followed this up with a series of high-profile visits from countries taking Chinese money for major infrastructure projects. The President of Vietnam arrived on Monday, the Presidents of Tanzania and Pakistan on Wednesday. This will culminate in Scholz’s arrival, the first G7 leader to accept Xi’s invitation. China’s sphere of influence is truly global.

The German Chancellor arrives with what his critics in Berlin describe as a ‘gift to China’ – a deal whereby the Chinese state-owned shipping giant Cosco is to be granted a 25 per cent stake in Hamburg’s container port, against the advice of several of his ministers.