German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is demanding a more assertive "new China strategy" pressuring Chancellor Olaf Scholz ahead of his visit to Beijing this week, Politico reports.

"Now it is crucial to make clear in China the messages that we laid down together in the coalition agreement," she said, according to Der Spiegel newspaper. “As is well known, we clearly stated in the coalition agreement that China is our partner on global issues, that we cannot decouple in a globalized world, but that China is also a competitor and increasingly a systemic rival,” said Baerbock, adding: “And that we will base our China policy on this strategic understanding and also align our cooperation with other regions in the world.”

“I made it clear that we as the federal government are writing a new China strategy,” she said.

Her comments reflect friction in the coalition following the government's decision last week to allow the Chinese company Cosco to buy a stake in one of Hamburg's port terminals. The Scholz administration reportedly tried to push through the deal despite concerns from coalition partners, including the Greens and the liberal FDP. In the end, Cosco was allowed to buy a smaller share than originally planned.

Scholz also aroused Brussels' displeasure with his policy toward Beijing after he categorically rejected the idea of separation from China.