Steinmeier urges China to use Russia ties to end Ukraine war during Beijing visit

Responsibility as a rising power

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier gave a speech at Peking University on 29 October, the third day of his China visit, and the university also awarded him an honorary professorship. He told the audience that China's rise to great-power status brings obligations, and he said Germany does not fear China's ascent but is watching how it happens. Steinmeier argued that a rules-based international order matters to middle powers like Germany and to large powers like China alike. He asked China to join Germany in strengthening that order and in defending peace and free global trade.

“With greatness and power comes great responsibility.”

Trade imbalances and one-sided dependence

Steinmeier said Europe does not want to decouple from China and wants trade that keeps bringing advantages to both sides. He called for competition under fair and uniform rules and pointed to the difficulty European companies face in gaining access to the Chinese market. In his account, subsidised Chinese exports flowing in large volumes into Europe while access stays tightly controlled would create a risk of one-sided vulnerability. He acknowledged China's wish to protect its economy from external shocks, but said China's greater independence must not mean growing dependence for others. According to tagesschau, he called Beijing's commitment to export fewer hybrid cars an encouraging sign and asked for concessions in further areas.

“In short, a win-win must not turn into a win-lose.”

Ukraine and Russia

Steinmeier urged Beijing to use its influence in Moscow, noting that China holds a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and has close ties with Russia. He called for Russia to stop its attacks and enter serious negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine. He also named the Middle East as a region where China should take on responsibility for resolving conflicts. He put the duration of the conflict in Ukraine at almost five years.

“It is high time, after almost five years of war, longer than the First World War.”

Table tennis and the visit schedule

Steinmeier, who does not play table tennis, lost a doubles match 7:1 in the Peking University sports hall. He played alongside a Chinese player against former world-class player Timo Boll and Boll's Chinese partner. Before the match he had asked not to expect too much, saying he is a football player at heart. Afterwards he said Boll had promised to spare him and that he would have liked a closer score. Boll, who won team silver at the 2008 Olympics in the same sports hall, was invited by Steinmeier to accompany him on the trip. Steinmeier arrived in China on Tuesday, 27 October, and plans to stay until Saturday, 31 October. Talks with Premier Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping are expected on Friday, 30 October. The trip takes place as Germany and Europe deepen their engagement with China's political and economic relations, and the last state visit by a German federal president to China took place in 2018.