Olaf Scholz

What German interests have prompted Frank-Walter Steinmeier's visits to Cambodia and Malaysia, and what can the two countries expect?

The German chancellor’s trip to China was driven by pragmatic calculations – and it seems to have paid off.

The recent visits to Beijing of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Council President Charles Michel reflected the ongoing attempt to calibrate Europe’s China policy.

Olaf Scholz flagged Vietnam as an important future partner in his government's plan to reduce Germany's economic reliance on China.

There were few deliverables from the short visit, but Beijing is hopeful it indicates Germany is moving out of alignment with the U.S. approach to China.

Olaf Scholz’s visit to China represents a break with the Coalition Agreement and a return to a commercial foreign policy approach.

Olaf Scholz has kept Germany’s business-first approach to China but that’s increasingly at odds with trends at home and abroad.

Scholz called his trip to Japan “a clear political signal that Germany and the EU will continue and intensify their engagement with the Indo-Pacific region.”

Under new Chancellor Scholz, obstacles remain for transatlantic coordination on China.

In the interplay between the new chancellor and his cabinet, the greatest determinant of Germany’s future China policy will be a third actor – Xi Jinping.

The noble idea of ​​value-based foreign policy in post-Merkel Germany could quickly reach its limits.