Johann Wadephul was reportedly forced to cancel an imminent visit to Beijing because too few meetings had been arranged.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was forced to cancel an upcoming trip to China after Beijing reportedly refused to host high-level meetings with him, several media outlets reported on Friday.
Wadephul was scheduled to leave for Beijing on Sunday to discuss China’s export restrictions on rare earths and semiconductors, as well as the Ukraine conflict.
“The trip cannot take place at this time and will be postponed to a later date.” Politico cited a spokesperson for Germany’s Federal Foreign Office. Wadephul was scheduled to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, but otherwise appeared to have very few meetings on the agenda.
According to Bild, the two diplomats will soon have a telephone conversation.
The diplomatic setback comes amid rising trade tensions between China and the EU. Over the past year, Brussels and Beijing have clashed over what the bloc calls China’s industrial overproduction, while China accuses the EU of protectionism.
Earlier this month, Beijing tightened its restrictions on the export of certain strategic minerals that have dual use in military applications, a move that could further strain Europe’s beleaguered automotive sector.
Germany has been particularly hard hit by the worsening business climate. Bild reported Wednesday that Volkswagen is expected to halt production at key plants next week due to a shortage of semiconductors following the Dutch government’s seizure of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia. The Netherlands cited risks to the EU’s technological security, prompting Beijing to retaliate by banning exports of Nexperia chips from China. As inventories decline, more Volkswagen plants could face temporary closures and other automakers could also be affected, the newspaper said.
On Friday, German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche announced that Berlin would file a diplomatic protest against Beijing for blocking semiconductor shipments, citing Germany’s heavy dependence on Chinese components.
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