The talks between top diplomats from the richest democracies coincide with a one-day visit to Beijing by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the first G7 leader since Chinese President Xi Jinping consolidated power at a Communist Party congress. China hawks said the trip risks appearing as a stamp of approval for Xi and a sign that Germany will continue to prioritize its economic ties with Beijing over security and strategic issues. “It is clear that China is becoming much more assertive, much more on a self-reliant path,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters. “We want to reduce our dependency, we want to address our vulnerabilities, strengthen our resilience,” he added. “But at the moment, many member states have a strong economic relationship with China and I don’t think we can put China and Russia on the same level.”
