BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will pay a visit to Germany, France and Norway from today (Monday) to 12 (Friday) at the invitation of German, French and Norwegian foreign ministers Annalena Baerbock, Catherine Colonna and Anniken Huitfeldt, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced on Monday.
The spokesman said this in a statement adding that the foreign minister would hold meetings with counterparts from the three nations.
During a visit to Beijing last month, German FM Baerbock said she had expressed her concerns about issues of human rights in China and warned of the repercussions of escalating tensions with Taiwan.
Speaking after a meeting with Qin, Baerbock urged Beijing to ask “the Russian aggressor to stop the war and conflict in Ukraine, adding that China has more influence on Russia as compared to other countries.
French FM Colonna was part of a delegation accompanying President of France Emmanuel Macron for a state visit in early April.
Ukraine issue amid Chinese FM visit
Meanwhile, Beijing has sought to portray itself as a neutral player in Russia’s war in Ukraine, whereas President Xi Jinping held his first call with Kyiv’s leader last month since Moscow’s invasion.
But recent comments by China’s ambassador to France questioning the sovereignty of ex-Soviet states put its neutral stance into question, and a position paper from China on ending the conflict was met with scepticism by NATO and the United States.
The German foreign ministry confirmed Qin would hold talks with his German counterpart in Berlin on Tuesday. Spokesman Christofer Burger expressed this via a news conference adding that the Ukraine war would probably be the focus of talks.
He further said that Berlin believed that China was a key player and would play a crucial role in this respect.
Officials in Paris confirmed that the Chinese FM would meet his French counterpart Catherine Colonna on Wednesday, while Qin would visit Norway on Friday informed by officials from Norway.
