GERMANY: Foreign Minister's China Trip Cancelled At Short Notice

(MNI) London - Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul's high-profile visit to China, planned for 27-28 October, has been cancelled at late notice, according to an FM spox. The spox claims that they found it impossible to get sufficient meetings with officials to make the trip worthwhile, saying that Beijing had only confirmed one relevant meeting with Wadephul's counterpart, Wang Yi. Hans von der Burchard at Politico notes on X that "it is known that [Wadephul] was keen to go (to discuss rare earths, microchips)."

• The cancellation of the visit came a day after Wadephul told Reuters that, "I will of course also clearly address this issue [rare earth export controls and semiconductors] on the trip. I am certain that, just like us, China has a primary interest in stable and reliable global trade relations and supply chains. This can only succeed in the long term if the rules of fair and open international trade are observed by all sides."
• Wadephul also said he would look to discuss China and its position vis-à-vis Russia, saying "Our interest is that China contributes to achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. No other country has as much influence on Russia as China."
• It has not been confirmed which side initiated the cancellation, although the German FM spokesperson's expression of regret that the minister would not be travelling could be an indicator.