German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to hold private talks with US President Joe Biden in the White House on Friday amid concerns that China may start sending weapons to Russia.
Scholz left for Washington on Thursday and is set to meet with Biden for an hour. In an unusual turn, the German chancellor did not bring a press delegation with him.
Friday will mark Scholz’s first visit to the US since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, with the war remaining at the top of the agenda.
Scholz and Biden will likely discuss how to best continue supporting Kyiv’s war effort, but the prospect of possible Chinese involvement may further complicate the issue.
Why are the US and Germany worried about China?
The German chancellor called on China to “use your influence in Moscow to press for the withdrawal of Russian troops,” and not to “supply weapons to the aggressor Russia” in a speech to the Bundestag on Thursday.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday that the US has not seen any indication that Beijing has reached a decision on sending weapons to Russia, but such a move could have the potential to drag out the Russian war in Ukraine which has already lasted over a year.
It could also provoke friction between Germany and the US due to their differing stances on Beijing.
China is Germany’s biggest trading partner, and the possibility being floated by the US of imposing sanctions on China if it decides to send weapons may cause problems for Berlin which has suggested Beijing could have a role to play in bringing about peace.
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German and US ‘deep bonds of friendship’
The low-key meeting between the two leaders also follows revelations from Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, that the US only agreed to sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine because Germany had made it a condition for sending its own Leopard 2 tanks.
Scholz is also likely to bring up the issue of US subsidies for green technologies — part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — which has sparked anger among US allies in Europe who say it puts their companies at a disadvantage while they face the brunt of the effects of Russia’s invasion.
The White House last month described Scholz’s visit as a chance to “reaffirm the deep bonds of friendship between the United States and our NATO ally Germany.”
Friday’s meeting “is not a sign of crisis. It is an opportunity to deepen the personal relationship between both leaders,” Sudha David-Wilp, head of the Berlin bureau of the German Marshall Fund think tank, said.
“Washington is still looking to Berlin as the lead military power in Europe. It is an opportunity to take stock,” she added.
ab/nm (Reuters, AP)
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Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-s-scholz-to-meet-biden-in-washington/a-64871568?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf