GERMANY-Xi, Scholz Hold Video Call On Security & Cooperation

(MNI) London - State media reporting comments from Chinese President Xi Jinping following his videolink talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier today. Xi: 'Sino-German trade is developing steadily, two-way investment enthusiasm is high...Cooperation between the two countries is becoming more stable...China and Germany should defend the international order and multilateralism, and work together to address global challenges.'

• Xi: 'China regards Europe as a comprehensive strategic partner...Hopes Germany will push EU to maintain the stability of global industrial and supply chains.'
• Xi, in talks w/Scholz: 'Whether the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or the Ukraine crisis, to solve the root cause, it is necessary to think more deeply about security issues. Squeezing the security space of other countries and [...] protecting one side while ignoring the legitimate demands of the other side will lead to regional imbalances.'
• A statement from the German Chancellery: "[Scholz and Xi] discussed bilateral relations and cooperation in the economic sector. The topic of the conversation was also the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel and the current situation in the region. [Xi and Scholz] continued to talk about the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and its effects. The conversation reiterated that a nuclear war must not be waged and can never be won."
• The EU's probe into Chinese electric vehicle subsidies causing EU-China friction. Germany is seen as more accomodative towards China, compared to France, which advocates a hard line (largely seen as Germany being less concerned by Chinese EV imports as its high-end models are not in competition with those from China, whereas France's less costly models are).