PREVIEW: Merkel aims to balance business, human rights in China talks

By Andrew McCathie

Berlin - Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's visit to Germany on Monday and Tuesday is likely to prove a tough balancing act for Berlin as it seeks to promote further business ties with China while taking the Asian economic powerhouse to task over human rights.

On the eve of Wen's trip, the Chinese authorities unexpectedly released detained artist and political activist Ai Weiwei after an international outcry over his arrest in April.

But China's ambassador to Germany, Wu Hongbo, insisted this week that Weiwei's release had nothing to do with the Chinese premier's trip to Europe. The premier will also be visiting Britain and Hungary.

Rather, the 54-year-old artist was released on bail after agreeing to pay back the taxes he owes, Wu said.

Several human rights groups and leading political figures have called on German Chancellor Angela Merkel to place human rights and the treatment of Weiwei at the centre of her talks with Wen.

'Despite the importance of our political and economic relations, such a case should not pass without comment,' said Monika Gruetters, who heads Germany's parliamentary committee on culture. She is also a member of Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats.

German government officials have been keen to stress that human rights will be an issue at Wen's meetings in Berlin.

Speaking at a regular press briefing on Friday, Berlin government spokesman Christoph Steegmans said Weiwei's release was just a first step. 'Of course we want to ensure there is further progress.'

But officials in Berlin are also like to highlight what they consider to be the pragmatic nature of the relationship between the two global economic powerhouse economies.

In addition to questions on the rule of law, officials in Berlin say Wen's talks in Germany will also touch on climate change and the thorny issue of industrial espionage.

Germany is also interested in China playing a role in addressing critical international issues such as the nuclear stance of Iran and North Korea.

Moreover, Berlin sees China as offering major investment opportunities for German business at a time of growing economic uncertainty in the US and Europe. China is the European Union's second-largest trading partner.

Underlying Germany's business offensive in China in recent years, the auto group Volkswagen now sells more cars in China than in its German home market. Of the 2 million cars it made in the first five months of his year, one third came off Chinese assembly lines.

In the buildup to Wen's visit, the Chinese construction group Sany opened a new plant near the German city of Cologne - the biggest new industrial site built by a Chinese company in the European Union.

Wen's visit to Germany comes 12 months after Beijing pulled out all the stops for a visit to China by Merkel.

The centrepiece of Wen's visit to Berlin will be a first-ever joint consultation between ministers from Merkel's cabinet and their counterparts from Asia's largest economy.

German ministers have already held similar meetings with the cabinets of Poland, India, Russia and Israel.


(2011-6-25/monstersandcritics)