German foreign minister postpones China trip amid rising tensions

BERLIN (Reuters) -German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul postponed his first trip to China after Beijing confirmed only one of his requested meetings, pointing to rising tensions between the largest economies in Europe and Asia over trade and security issues.

The trip that was originally planned for Sunday will not take place, a spokesperson for his ministry said on Friday, adding this was regrettable. It would have been the first by a minister from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government.

"We are postponing the journey to a later time," the spokesperson told a regular news conference, adding that Germany was concerned about constraints placed on rare earth exports. The only meeting Beijing had confirmed was with Wadephul's direct counterpart Wang Yi.

Wadephul has struck an increasingly tough stance on China since he took office as foreign minister in May, highlighting Beijing's support for Russia's war in Ukraine, its "increasingly aggressive behaviour" in the Indo-Pacific region, and its export curbs on rare earths and semiconductors.

In doing so, he has gone further still than his predecessor Annalena Baerbock, who was already known for being outspoken, labelling Chinese President Xi Jinping a "dictator".

Wadephul had told Reuters on Wednesday he planned to urge China to relax export restrictions on rare earths and semiconductors, emphasising fair trade as a cornerstone of successful relations.

Germany, like other European nations, has aimed to reduce its reliance on trade with China amid political tensions and concerns over what Berlin sees as unfair trade practices. But China has regained its position as Germany's top trade partner so far this year, after being overtaken last year by the United States.

Wadephul told Reuters he would also call on China to use its substantial influence over Russia to facilitate peace talks on the Ukraine conflict.

He has previously said 80% of the dual-use goods used by Russia come from China - which showed China "may accept the principles of non-interference and territorial integrity on paper, but undermines them in practice".

Agnieszka Brugger, a senior leader of the opposition Greens, said that the Chinese side had provoked the cancellation of the trip, which showed a fear of debate.

"It also fits the picture of the increasingly bullying methods with which the Chinese leadership is acting worldwide," she said. "We must not allow ourselves to be intimidated by that."

(Reporting by Thomas Escritt, Andreas Rinke and Sarah MarshEditing by Peter Graff)