The Scholz-Xi Jinping meeting is cleared, the German chancellor's urgent call to Beijing: You have responsibility for world peace! Exercise your influence on Putin

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited China today where he asked President Xi Jinping for China to "exercise its influence on Russia". The German leader's one-day visit has sparked criticism for China's tacit support for Moscow. In a press conference after the meeting, Chancellor Scholz also spoke about the danger of using nuclear weapons.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Beijing to use its influence over Moscow against the war in Ukraine.

"As a global political player and permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China has responsibility for world peace. I told President Xi that it is important for China to exert its influence on Russia," said German Chancellor Scholz.

The German chancellor spoke to reporters alongside outgoing Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, although no questions from reporters were allowed.

"We talked about the current crisis in Ukraine and both sides hope that this crisis will end as soon as possible, that the situation will be eased and that it should not escalate. Our starting point is to promote peace and promote talks," Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang said, among other things.

The German chancellor also spoke about the danger of using nuclear weapons, saying that he agrees with China that their use is "irresponsible and very dangerous".

The diplomatically sensitive trip came as Germany and the European Union work on their strategy in the face of an increasingly authoritarian China.

The German chancellor's one-day visit is testing the waters between China and the West after years of rising tension, analysts say, with talks touching on Russia's war on Ukraine, environmental change and mutual access to trade.

Mr. Scholz is the first leader of the 7 most industrialized countries in the world to visit China since the beginning of the "Covid-19" virus pandemic./VOA