China's Li Says German Companies Welcome Amid US Trade Spat-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
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24
May 2018
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China Germany (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)
Premier Li Keqiang said Thursday that China welcomes German companies
during a visit by Chancellor Angela Merkel that gives Beijing an opportunity to
try to recruit an ally in its trade feud with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Both China and Germany are embroiled in disputes with Washington, though
German officials say Merkel is committed to trans-Atlantic ties and isn't
looking for new alliances.
The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
Li, China's No. 2 leader, and Merkel also expressed support for the Iran
nuclear deal rejected by Trump and for the global trading system that free
trade advocates worry is being challenged by his embrace of import controls.
The two leaders stressed positive aspects of their relations, despite an
array of disputes over issues including market access, human rights and Chinese
controls on foreign investment.
The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
Li repeated official pledges that China welcomes and will protect
foreign investment. But during an appearance with Merkel, he gave no indication
they made progress on German complaints about market barriers and controls that
block foreign acquisition of most assets in China while Chinese companies are
on a global buying spree.
The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
"I welcome German businessmen to come to invest in China,"
said Li. "China's door is open and will be open wider."
Merkel broached the topic of access in a later meeting with Chinese
President Xi Jinping, saying Chinese companies were increasingly entering the
German market, "in some cases with very sophisticated technologies of
their own.
"This will stay with us in the coming years and as such the
question of market access and reciprocity will play a big role," she told
Xi.
Merkel's visit follows a truce in Beijing's sprawling dispute with Trump
over its technology policy and multibillion-dollar trade surplus with the
United States.
Tensions eased after China promised Saturday to buy more American goods.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is due to visit Beijing, but it is unclear
whether the two sides have made any progress toward a final settlement.
Both China and Germany have been rattled by Trump's tariff hike on steel
and aluminum imports. In a possible new blow to Germany, a major auto exporter,
the Trump administration launched an investigation Wednesday into whether
higher tariffs are needed on imported vehicles and parts it said might threaten
national security.
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Merkel's visit is her first since she formed a new government. It
follows visits to Washington to meet with Trump and to Russia for talks with
President Vladimir Putin over recent weeks. The Total Investment & Insurance
Solutions
Merkel said before leaving Germany that despite common ground on trade
and Iran, she planned to press China on "reciprocal access" to its
state-dominated, heavily regulated markets in which many industries are closed
to foreign competitors. That is one area in which Washington and Berlin agree
China is violating its free-trade commitments.
Merkel was accompanied by an 18-member business delegation representing
chemicals, pharmaceuticals, auto manufacturing and other industries.
Li repeated official assurances that China respects human rights in
response to a question that mentioned Liu Xia, the widow of Nobel Peace
laureate Liu Xiaobo. She is confined to her apartment despite never having been
charged with a crime.
Chinese activists have cited Germany as a country that might accept Liu
Xia if she were allowed to leave China. On Wednesday, Amnesty International
appealed to Merkel to call for her release. The Total Investment & Insurance
Solutions
"China's constitution clearly stipulates that we respect and
guarantee human rights," said Li. He noted Beijing is due to hold a human
rights dialogue with Germany this year. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
"We would like to conduct dialogues with Germany on individual
cases," the premier said. "We hope the relevant issue can be properly
handled on the basis of mutual understanding, respect and equity."
On the Iran deal, Merkel said Berlin feels bound by it despite Trump's
announcement this month that Washington was withdrawing. Germany and China were
among the five nations that negotiated the deal and want it to continue.
"It is not perfect either, but one always has to ask what the
alternatives are, and the alternatives are even more precarious," she
said. "In any case, we have a common position not to call into question
this agreement."
On Friday, Merkel travels to Shenzhen, a southern city that is home to
Huawei, the biggest global maker of telecom equipment, and internet powerhouse
Tencent. The Total
Investment & Insurance Solutions
During talks earlier with Li, Merkel said, "Of course China's
relationship with the European Union is important to me, and how Germany
contributes to that."
That could be seen as a reference to German concern that China's growing
ties with Eastern European countries are undercutting the trade bloc's rules on
bidding for government contracts and transparency. Merkel gave no details
before reporters were ushered from the room.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
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