 was still mayor Hamburg when he welcomed China's president to Germany in 2017 But his trip has sparked controversy in Germany and concern elsewhere in Europe. It comes hard on the heels of the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.President Xi used it to tighten his grip on power, packing his leadership team with allies.An extraordinary and bitter row erupted recently at the very top of the German government, when it emerged a Chinese company was poised to buy a significant stake in a part of the port of Hamburg. No fewer than six government ministers reacted furiously. The deal, they argued, would give China significant influence over critical German infrastructure. Germany's security services also urged caution. But the German chancellor appeared insistent the deal should go ahead. He reportedly pushed through an agreement, albeit one that limited the size and influence of the 24.9% stake.No-one is quite sure why he seemed so determined. A former mayor of Hamburg, Mr Scholz remains close to the city authorities who argued that the deal represented vital investment. But plenty of other commentators suspect an ulterior motive; that Olaf Scholz did not want to turn up in Beijing without a "gift" for Xi Jinping. That has raised both eyebrows and concerns. © Provided by BBC News As has the chancellor's decision to take with him a delegation of German business executives. That was standard practice for his predecessor, Angela Merkel, who pursued a policy of "Change through Trade", believing that economic ties could influence political relations with countries like China and Russia. "The signal that's being sent is that we want to extend and intensify our economic co-operation - that must be questioned," says Felix Banazsak, a politician from the Green Party, a partner in Mr Scholz's coal){kind=link}
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz holds talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, the first G7 leader to visit Beijing since the Covid-19 pandemic.
But his trip has sparked controversy in Germany and concern elsewhere in Europe.
It comes hard on the heels of the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
President Xi used it to tighten his grip on power, packing his leadership team with allies.
An extraordinary and bitter row erupted recently at the very top of the German government, when it emerged a Chinese company was poised to buy a significant stake in a part of the port of Hamburg.