Key Takeaways:
- China and Germany have both warned Russia against issuing threats of nuclear weapons in the ongoing Ukraine war.
- Meanwhile, the German chancellor's visit comes at a controversial time.
NEW DELHI (CoinChapter.com) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to use Beijing’s influence on Russia and ensure that Moscow refrains from issuing “irresponsible” nuclear threats against Ukraine.
The German Chancellor warned that Russia risked crossing a line with the international community with its threats of resorting to nuclear force in the ongoing war. Scholz’s visit to China is remarkable because he is the first G7 leader to visit the country since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Moreover, the Chinese president also warned Russia against using the nuclear option in Ukraine, one of the first signs of Russia’s unhappiness with the geopolitical tensions in Europe.
Xi implored the international community to band together and “oppose the use or threats to use nuclear weapons,” per a statement published by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.
We come together at a time of great tension. […] I want to highlight the Russian war against Ukraine, which poses many problems for our rules-based world order
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
Ukraine’s allies in the West have accused Russia of threatening to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, which Moscow has repeatedly denied. Moreover, President Putin’s government has repeatedly accused Kyiv of planning to use a radioactive “dirty bomb.”
However, Russia has failed to provide any evidence to substantiate its claims.
Latest Warning To Russia from China and Germany
The comments are the latest warning to President Vladimir Putin, who is already under pressure because of Russia’s floundering war campaign. To recap, Moscow formally annexed four regions of Ukraine in Oct.
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However, the steady advance of Ukrainian forces has forced Moscow to evacuate Kherson’s capital city in anticipation of an assault. Additionally, western nations have been providing Ukraine with military and financial aid.
German Chancellor’s Visit- Evidence Of Rift in EU Over China?
Chancellor Scholz’s visit has attracted criticism from several quarters. Many in Germany and the EU view Scholz’s China visit as prioritizing short-term financial interests over EU unity.
Furthermore, Scholz’s visit comes at the heels of the chancellor pushing through a controversial deal, which allowed China’s Cosco to buy a 24.9% stake in one of Hamburg’s port terminals. Several members of the cabinet and the ruling coalition had opposed the deal.
There were concerns that Beijing was gradually expanding its control over some key infrastructure in the EU through such deals. Meanwhile, Scholz did complain about the lack of reciprocity from China regarding market access.
As such, it remains to be seen how the other members of the EU will react to the German Chancellor’s visit to China.
