German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in Beijing today. He is the first European leader to visit China since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – and his trip with a dozen German CEOs has sparked some controversy. This visit comes on the heels of Scholz’s decision to push through the approval of Chinese shipping giant COSCO’s bid for a stake in a Hamburg port terminal over the objections of cabinet members, Germany’s intelligence services, and international partners. And, it comes in the run-up to the release of a new national security strategy and a China strategy, both of which are slated to be released before the end of the year (or in January).
Join us for a virtual discussion with Noah Barkin, Senior Visiting Fellow at the German Marshall Fund and Managing Editor at Rhodium Group, about Germany’s evolving position on China.
Noah Barkin is a Visiting Senior Fellow in the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund based in Berlin. He specializes in Europe’s relationship with China and the implications of China’s rise in the transatlantic relationship. He is also the managing editor in the China practice at Rhodium Group. Prior to joining GMF, he had a 25-year career as a journalist in Berlin, Paris, London, and New York. His work has appeared on Reuters, where he served as a bureau chief, regional news editor, and roving Europe correspondent. In 2019, he was a visiting fellow at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) in Berlin and the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies in Washington (AICGS). He is also a host on KCRW, an NPR-affiliated radio station in Berlin, and the author of a book on the euro. A native Californian, Noah has a bachelor’s degree in political science and French from UC Berkeley and a master’s in international affairs from Columbia University.
