German chancellor’s China visit sparks debate at home

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A German member of the European Parliament says a visit by his country’s chancellor to China has stirred major controversy at home amid disputes over trade, human rights and territorial claims. Reinhard Butikofer said during a visit to Taiwan that Olaf Scholz’s trip is “probably the most controversially debated visit in the country for the last 50 years.” Butikofer says concerns center around the timing of the trip and what signals Scholz might give Beijing. Scholz will be the first European leader to visit China since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Germany has strongly opposed. Beijing has provided Moscow with diplomatic backing.