2024.03.24
Grandview Institution 2024.03.25 15:11 Beijing
On the afternoon of March 24, 2024, Eckart von Klaeden, Vice President of Mercedes-Benz Group and former German Minister of State; Leng Yan, Executive Vice President of Mercedes-Benz China, and Lu Qing, Senior Manager of the External Affairs Department of Mercedes-Benz China, visited GVI, where they met with Ren Lipo, President of GVI and his colleagues: Li Xinyu, Vice Chairman of GVI; Mao Jing, Director of International Cooperation Department, and Zhu Junwei, Director of Center for American Studies. They exchanged views on Sino-European relations, Sino-German relations, and the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Mr. von Klaeden believed that the biggest difference between Europe-China relations and U.S.-China relations is that Europe is not worried about China's rise and views China more as a partner than a competitor. He said that the opportunities in Europe-China relations are greater than the challenges. But the crux at the moment lies in the Russia-Ukraine issue, and China's attitude will largely determine the direction of Sino-European relations. "Since the end of the Cold War, one of Europe's biggest concerns is how to re-establish a peaceful order with Russia."
He said that Germany's approach to China, which was "trade for change", is too naive, but this does not negate the fact that trade has made a great contribution to the promotion of bilateral relations. He added that we should distinguish economic and trade relations and political issues. “We are happy to see an economically open China. Cooperation between Germany and China on business and trade and climate change should not be swayed by the ideology of some political parties,” said Mr. von Klaeden.