German Economy Minister Robert Habeck left on Wednesday on a trip to East Asia, with stops planned in South Korea and China.
Before his departure, Habeck said relations between China and Germany had become “significantly more complex,” citing trade disputes such as the European Union’s threat to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
The fare issue “will certainly have a major impact on the trip, even though the [European] The Commission is in the lead and is conducting the negotiations there,” Habeck said.
He also expected Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine to “resonate” as an issue during the trip. Habeck said he also plans to address human rights issues in China.
“Conversely, China is an important trading partner for Germany,” the Green minister noted.
His first destination is South Korea, where Habeck wants to meet politicians and business people. He is accompanied by a business delegation and members of the German parliament, the Bundestag.
South Korea is Germany’s second-largest foreign trade market in Asia, with goods exports – mainly of cars and auto parts – worth around €20 billion ($21.5 billion), according to the German Economics Ministry, led by Habeck.
South Korea, in turn, is a major producer of information and communications technology.
The visit to South Korea comes at a time when tensions are rising again at the border with communist-ruled North Korea.
Habeck will travel to China on Friday.
