China accuses Germany of ‘political’ trade policy

All through the pandemic, the message from China was that ideology trumped economic considerations as Xi Jinping shut the borders. Now Western businesses are hoping the sudden end of the zero COVID-19 policy means a shift in the other direction. But relations are still frosty. China’s ambassador to Berlin, Wu Ken, has condemned German plans to take a more sober look at relations with China. And China has begun retaliating against South Korea and Japan, two of the countries which have imposed COVID-19 curbs on travelers from China. China is demanding restriction-free travel for its citizens, but isn’t offering the same to arrivals. Does China expect more from its trading partners than it’s willing to give them?