Et came as no surprise to the Federal Chancellor. When he set off from Berlin on Saturday afternoon for a multi-day visit to China, there was concern that Iran would soon attack Israel. Scholz had already warned about this before departure. He had already been traveling for several hours towards the city of Chongqing, a city of 30 million, when his fears turned into certainty. Scholz had not yet gone to sleep when he was informed about the bombardment of Israel by hundreds of drones. It was said in government circles that the Chancellor had been continuously informed about developments in the Middle East. The delegation was also in close contact with the German security authorities during the flight.
When Scholz landed in Chongqing after ten hours, Sunday morning had just begun in Germany. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit released a short statement on the events in the Middle East. “Chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly condemned the heavy air strikes on Israeli territory that the regime in Tehran began tonight,” it said. With this “irresponsible and unjustifiable attack,” Iran is risking a regional conflagration. Germany stands closely by Israel “in these difficult times”.
Delegation was prepared for development
Even before Scholz's trip from Chongqing via Shanghai to Beijing on Tuesday for political talks, it had been announced in Berlin that the program could change if the Chancellor discussed the reactions to an Iranian attack with Germany's partners have to vote. Even before landing in Chongqing, it was announced that this would now happen. We will discuss “further reactions” with the G-7 partners and allies.
Scholz and his delegation were also technically prepared for such a development. A technician travels with the Chancellor's troops who can ensure secure communication at all times. Just as it is needed for the agreement between the G-7 partners planned for Sunday. Recently, four German officers were intercepted during a telephone meeting about possible uses of the Taurus cruise missile to defend Ukraine against Russia, which was an extremely unpleasant event for the federal government.
Scholz came to China with a large business delegation. It is his second trip as Chancellor to the country, which is so economically important for Germany. On Tuesday he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang and then travel back to Berlin.