Last week, rumors circulated online claiming that Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s foreign minister, was thrown out of a meeting with her Chinese counterpart in Beijing. However, a fact-check by Euroverify debunked these claims, revealing that the video being circulated was actually from a previous visit in April 2023, where Baerbock was summoned out of the room by the then-foreign minister, Qin Gang.
During her recent visit to Beijing, Baerbock met with the current foreign minister, Wang Yi, with no evidence of being thrown out of any meetings. Although tensions were palpable between the two officials, Baerbock criticized China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and called out the reported use of Chinese factories to produce drones for Russia, citing a violation of European security interests.
Reports of Chinese companies producing drones for Russia have raised concerns in Brussels and EU capitals, with the EU still investigating the extent of China’s involvement. Baerbock also criticized China’s highly subsidized electric car market, which she believes is harming European and German businesses.
Despite the tensions and disagreements discussed during the meeting, there is no truth to the rumors of Baerbock being thrown out in Beijing. The German foreign minister remains focused on addressing important issues such as China’s involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine and its impact on European security interests.
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