German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Beijing on Monday morning. The first item on the agenda of her short trip is a strategic dialog with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The talks will cover bilateral issues as well as international foreign and security policy, with Baerbock focusing on the war in Ukraine. In a press statement before the trip, the Foreign Minister explained that Germany’s „security is closely linked to the security of other regions of the world“ and that exchange and diplomacy are therefore more important than ever in „turbulent times“ – „even with those who see things differently to us.“ Baerbock stressed Beijing’s responsibility for global peace and security as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. However, with its economic and arms support for Russia, she said that Beijing is going against core European interests. „Putin’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine is a direct threat to our peace. I will also discuss in Beijing that we cannot simply ignore this in our relations with China.“