Olaf Scholz Urges Xi Jinping To Condemn Russia's Potential Use of Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and asked the Asian leader to use his influence to urge Russian President Vladimir Putin to avoid the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Scholz noted that the two countries had agreed that Moscow's nuclear threats on Ukraine were "irresponsible and highly dangerous." On the other hand, Xi refused to condemn Putin's war on his European neighbor.

Scholz Meets With Xi Jinping

However, the Asian leader said that the global community should support efforts to end the crisis peacefully and oppose the use or threatened use of nuclear weapons. China's foreign ministry, reporting on the two world leaders' conclusions, did not quote Xi as using the words "Irresponsible" or "highly dangerous."

The German chancellor's visit to China sparked concern in his home country and elsewhere in Europe after the Chinese president recently cemented his grip on power. Scholz's trip to the Asian country was both short, only 11 hours, and controversial, as per BBC.

Scholz is the first Western leader to travel to China's capital since the global pandemic and the first one to meet with Chinese President Xi since the latter achieved his third term in office. The timing of the German chancellor's visit is seen as highly questionable by many in Europe.

This includes members of the German chancellor's own government, who expressed worry that his presence will serve to burnish the domestic reputation of an increasingly authoritarian Xi. However, Scholz, similar to his predecessor, Angela Merkel, argued that global problems can only be addressed through cooperating with China.

According to Reuters, Scholz warned that Russia was crossing the line in the international community by threatening the use of nuclear force on Ukraine. While the two leaders were having lunch, Xi said that it was relatively easy to destroy political trust but difficult to mend it.

Criticism of Putin's War

Xi, while greeting Scholz at the Great Hall of the People when the German chancellor arrived, urged China and Germany to work closely together on various international issues. The visit comes as Ukraine's Western allies have accused Moscow of threatening to use nuclear force in the war.

However, Russian authorities continue to deny the allegations and have repeatedly accused Kyiv of planning to use a radioactive "dirty bomb" despite an investigation revealing no evidence of the claim.

Scholz previously told Xi that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has created problems for the rules-based global order. The German chancellor then met with outgoing premier Li Keqiang, saying that it was clear that China and Germany were not friends of "decoupling."

But before the war, Xi referred to Putin as his best friend but stopped short of asking the Russian strongman to withdraw his troops. The Chinese leader also made no mention of Putin's refusal to honor the United Nations agreement on facilitating Ukrainian grain exports.

Putin publicly acknowledged in September for the first time that Xi had "questions" and "concerns" about his war on Ukraine. Shortly after a meeting between the two leaders, Putin raised the notion that nuclear weapons could be used in the war in order to defend his country and his people, Politico reported.