Episode 147: Olaf Scholz Goes to China

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s badly timed visit to Beijing. While it is no secret that Germany’s economy is heavily dependent on China, Chancellor Scholz has been the only G7 leader to make the trip to China since COVID-19. Critics argue that Chancellor Scholz’s visit ignores President Xi Jinping’s increasingly authoritarian tactics.

Is this visit indicative of a boarder German foreign policy shift towards China? How should the U.S. react when friends and allies “play footsies” with the Chinese? Is decoupling a viable option for Germany? Tune in to find out what our experts think!

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/germanys-scholz-in-china-amid-trade-ukraine-rights-issues/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/03/olaf-scholz-china-trip-germany

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