Germany should shed gifted blinkers on Ukraine

Sino-German relations, the European Union's "anti-subsidy" tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles and other issues of common concern were all included on German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's list of topics for discussion during her two-day visit to Beijing that concluded on Tuesday. But as expected, the Ukraine crisis was also burning a hole in her agenda.

Although the top German diplomat came primarily to co-chair the seventh round of the China-Germany Strategic Dialogue on Diplomacy and Security in Beijing with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, as agreed by the heads of state of the two countries, she not only had in-depth talks with Wang, but also met with Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, indicating the strategic importance Beijing attaches to relations with Berlin.

Baerbock, who maintains a tough stance on the Ukraine crisis, was informed firsthand of China's steadfast commitment to doing its part to help broker a political settlement to the largest armed conflict Europe has seen since the end of World War II.